There Is No Normal Life, Just Life
by freakess360
Summary: DonPOV "My feet padded against the rooftop… I shifted the weight of my duffle bag so as not to drop it as I ran." Bishop captures Don when he visits the junkyard and experiments of him. Don now must learn how far he will go to live a 'normal' life.
1. Prologue

_**There Is No Normal Life, Just Life**_

_**Summary:**_ _DonPOV "My feet padded against the rooftop… I shifted the weight of my duffle bag so as not to drop it as I ran." Bishop captures Don when he visits the junkyard and experiments of him. Don now must learn how far he will go to life a 'normal' life._

_Italics_ - Don's thoughts

_**Bold Italics**_ – Flashbacks

**Chapter 1 (Prologue)**

My feet padded against the rooftop. My breath escaped from my mouth as tendrils of vapor when it met the cool air of the night. I shifted the weight of my duffle bag so as not to drop it as I ran.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I mumbled to myself between pants.

I vaulted myself between buildings trying to find a safe manhole to flee down. Finally I reached the edge of the building, grasping the edge I looked down. I could easily see the manhole in the ally below. I almost jumped down to the fire escape but I stopped myself. Something was wrong. Suddenly three men stepped out of the shadows and surrounded the manhole. I refrained myself from screaming out in frustration. This is the third manhole I've come across and at least three men or more has guarded all of them. I could easily go down there and knock them out but I don't have the time. I'm being followed both on the ground and on the rooftops.

A thump sounds behind me. I spin to see a man land on the roof at the rear of me. I quickly whipped out my bo and knocked his feet out from underneath him. I then turned towards the next building as he fell to the ground. I get a slight running start before I bound to the next building. I landed hard; my knees buckled. I promptly regained my balance and glanced behind me. At least a dozen men have joined the now standing man on the rooftop I have just departed from.

"Shell," I cursed, turned again and started to run once more. _They're getting to close for comfort_, I thought. _Maybe if I loop around to a manhole I've already visited then they might have left it unguarded because I have already left the area._ Deciding to follow this new invasive plan I changed direction back toward the junkyard I had come from. Not a half-hour before I was unbothered, as I looked for a new part for the toaster that Leo had broken again.

_Leo! I should call h-_ the shrill sound of my shell-cell sounded against the quiet of the night that had recently been broken by my running. I shifted the bag on my shoulder for a second time as a reached for the vibrating device. I removed it from my belt and flipped it open.

"Hello?" I gasped.

"Hey Don. Where are you? I'm getting worried, you haven't been back yet," Leo's voice responded from the other end of the device.

I did not acknowledge his question at first. I flipped to the next building before I answer, "I don't know." I paused. "Somewhere between Fifth and Seventh."

"Don are you okay? You sound like you are running!"

I desperately wanted to laugh at Leo but decided that my breath is better used for losing my new stalkers. "That's because," I took a breath, "I am." My legs are beginning to burn but adrenaline pushed me to continue sprinting.

"What?" he yells into to cell, startling me. I fumbled for the contraption, which I almost dropped in surprise. "Who from?"

I once again ignored his question as I leapt to another building. "They have blocked all the manholes. I can't get to them without being caught. I can't-" I broke off as I heard the patter of running feet to my left. I quickly changed direction again and started running to the right.

I must have forgotten I was talking to Leo because I suddenly heard someone scream "Don!" from my hand. "Sorry," I replied. "It's hard to run, talk, and think at the same time."

"Who is chasing you? Where are you?" Leo questioned me once more. Not waiting for an answer he made an executive decision and informed me, "We're coming to get you."

"NO!" I shouted. "They'll catch you too. It's-" My shell-cell is suddenly ripped from my hand and crushed beneath a black shoe. The shock and force of my shell-cell being taken from me leaves me unbalanced and I spun clumsily toward the culprit.

"Bishop!" I growled. Regaining my balance I reached for my bo only to be hit on the side by a plasma gun that was fired from one of Bishop's men. The pain is immediate; my side burned from the blast. Gasping I fell to my hands and knees.

"Donatello." I looked up at Bishop. "It would be easier if you just come with me," he said coldly. I scoffed at him and stood up. _Yeah right, no way in shell I'm going to go quietly_. Bishop must have interpreted my internal response because he warned, "I wouldn't." Ignoring him I once again reached for my bo; too late. I heard the hum of a plasma gun and only had time to grunt as I got hit again and blacked out from the pain.


	2. A Danger?

_Italics_ - Don's Thoughts

**Bold** - Flashbacks 

**Chapter 2 (A Danger?)**

It was cold.

I slowly stirred and lifted my head up from its location on the cold metallic floor. Looking around I realized that I'm now in a room I don't recognize. I shifted slightly and a stab of pain that originated from my side reminded me of the events that took place before I blacked out.

I slowly raised myself into a more agreeable position. Once comfortable I gently examined my side. I couldn't help but silently congratulate the person who shot me. He was a great shot, hitting me twice on the tender skin between my shell and plastron. Two dark circular spots of burnt skin were seen against my olive green complexion.

I sighed and leaned my head against the wall behind me. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," I chastised myself again. Suddenly I was hit by a wave of exhaustion. I lifted my hand to rube the sleep from my eyes when-

_My mask!_ I ran my hand over my head trying to find the familiar fabric. I then realized I was completely naked, well more naked than usual. My knee and elbow pads were gone along with my belt, bo and bag. I sighed once more and allowed my hand to fall to my side.

I closed my eyes in frustration and slowly fell asleep.

An abrupt change in lighting woke me from my slumber. I raised my hands to try and block the light from hitting my sensitive eyes. I heard the click of shoes against the metallic floor. "Ah. Good-afternoon Donatello."

_Afternoon? Wasn't it just nighttime?_ I moved my hand so I could squint against the light to see the silhouette of Bishop in the doorway. I didn't respond to Bishop's greeting; rather I gingerly picked myself up from my slumped position against the wall. Once erect I stared at Bishop.

My eyes finally adjusted to the new lighting and I got a better look at Bishop. He had changed back into his suit and sunglasses rather than the battle suit and weapons I had seen him in previously before I woke for the first time. His hands were clasped behind his back and his feet were firmly planted shoulder width apart. A slight smirk formed at the corner of his mouth.

I swallowed and slipped on an emotionless mask. I tilted my head to the side as if to say, 'Well you got me…so what.' Bishop's smirk grew slightly and he cleared his throat into a raised fist before placing the hand back behind him with the other.

"You are probably wondering why you are here Donatello," Bishop informed me. "While you are the most predictable of your brothers, therefore the easiest to find and capture, you are also the most dangerous." I stood there shocked. _Dangerous?_ My confusion must have shown on my face because Bishop chuckled at my expression. "You don't know? Oh, Donatello you are the smart one," he taunted. "Surely you figured it out long ago."

I was floored. Had no idea what he was talking about. _Dangerous? Me? That's impossible…I am nowhere near as strong and powerful as my brothers. Leo is inarguably the best among us, and Raph is not far behind. And Mikey is a natural athlete. I am much slower to learn and struggle doing some moves they all have mastered months ago_.

Bishop broke off my train of thought, "Perhaps your intelligence was greatly exaggerated or I simply overestimated you, Donatello." Shaking his head he continued. "Though you are not the most talented ninja among your brothers you are the most dangerous. You hold the team together. I have seen it. You keep everyone focused and in line. You are the pacifist, breaking up fights between your brothers and fighting only when absolutely needed. You defend you brothers and take care of them as medic. When you fight you are calm, collected, focused. Your emotions do not take you over in a fight. You show the most human like qualities. And even though your brother Leonardo leads, he depends on you for plans and technical advice. You are the most intelligent, therefore the most dangerous."

He stepped closer to me, jolting me out of my stupor. He stopped five feet in front of me and gazed upon me with new intensity. "That is why I chose you. Your _humanity_," he spat, "makes you unique. And even if my experiment fails and you die it will benefit me. Your team will crumble without you and will be easily destroyed. Your brothers will split and even your leader, Leonardo, will be at my mercy for he will have no one to lead."

Seemingly done he spun and walked back toward the light he had come from. Reaching the door, he stopped. Gripping the frame he turned towards me and said, "Donatello, you are too dangerous to be free. You either must be dead or controlled." Then he was gone, taking the light with him.

Left alone once again in darkness I let go of the breath I didn't know I was holding. I was scared. Everything Bishop said I realize is true, I too had seen it. When the Ultimate Drako sent me to the future I was the reason for the falling apart of my family. Without me the world suffered. _I am dangerous._ Falling back against the wall I now realized that. Sliding down I wrapped my arms around my knees and buried my face in them. _How could I have been so blind?_ I took a deep breath and lifted my head surveying my prison once more. _Leo, please find me soon. Or else I fear it might be too late_.

After Bishop departed I was left alone for several hours. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke there was a bottle of water waiting for me near the door. I approached it carefully. Picking it up I sniffed it. Unable to detect any foreign odor I stuck my finger in the water and tasted it. Finding nothing wrong I took a sip. Immediately my dry mouth demanded more. I took another sip. I drank only half so to save the rest for another time because I knew not when I would be given water again.

More and more time passed. Minutes flew by, soon followed by hours. My water quickly vanished. Growing numb and restless I began too pace across my prison. After awhile I began to measure the rectangular room. It turned out to be, if my calculations were correct, fifteen feet by twenty feet. _Slightly smaller than my bedroom in the lair_, I thought.

I sighed. _Leo is probably freaking out. He must have found my broken shell-cell by now and begun and extensive search. Raph is most likely taking his anger out on a punching bag, and Mikey…oh Mikey. He probably is blaming himself for not coming with me to the junkyard…_

**_Flashback_**

"**Hey Don?' I set aside the contraption I was tinkering with and turned toward the door of my lab.**

"**You need something, Leo?"**

**Leonardo stepped into the room and held up the toaster he was carrying. "It won't work. I don't know why."**

**Trying hard not to laugh I took the toaster from him and placed it on my desk. Grabbing a screwdriver I said, "Tell me what happened Leo?"**

"**Well you see…I was trying to...the thing is…" he stutters.**

"**Do you need a minute to think of a good excuse?"**

"**N-no," he stammered. He took in a deep breath and then mumbled something I didn't hear.**

"**I'm sorry I didn't catch that.'**

"**I was trying to make toast and the toaster kept spitting the toast back at me so I tired to cut it open with my katana," he said quickly. This time I full out laughed. "It's not funny, the toaster is possessed."**

"**The toaster is not possessed,' I sniggered. "It just needs a new spring and bulb. Leo you really have to stop getting into fights with harmless kitchen appliances, it's unhealthy."**

**Slowly getting up I grabbed my shell-cell and duffle bag; "I needed to go to the junkyard for a new part for the Battleshell anyway. I'll just go now and be back in time for dinner.'**

"**Really? You are the best Donnie," Leo praised me. "Don't ever change."**

**I smiled in response as we exited my lab. Spotting Mikey sitting on the couch I called out, "Hey Mike, you want to go to the junkyard with me? You were saying earlier that you wanted to get out of the lair."**

"**No way, dude. That was before I found out there was a zombie movie marathon on TV."**

"**Okay," I shrugged. Shouldering my bag I started toward the elevator that led to the garage. **

"**Don't stay out too late," Leo advised. Entering the elevator I turned to face him. Right as the doors closed I saluted at Leo. I heard him chuckle as the doors snapped shut. Then the whir of gears and the hum of the elevator it led me toward the human civilization above and let me off into the chilly nighttime of the city.**

**_End Flashback_**

Shaking the memory from my head, I thought, _I have to get out of here. But how?_ I began to plan my escape but I stopped. Bishop's words suddenly rushed back to me; "He depends on you for plans." Burying my head into my hands; I was conflicted. _Do I reinforce Bishop's theory that I'm dangerous or do I prove him wrong?_

At this conundrum my brain freezes. A great deal of time must have passed because I was starting to get cramped from the position I was sitting in. I stood, stretched, and then began to pace again. _How long is Bishop planning on keeping me here? It's been hours._

As if answered the door suddenly opened and the light returned. I heard a shuffle of feet and a hum of plasma guns being warmed up. Slowly my eyes adjusted to the light and I saw Bishop's silhouette, but his time he was not alone. About ten men have accompanied Bishop into the room. Barricading me into the room and creating a wall of enemies between the door and me.

_They must expect me to try and escape_, I thought. _Good for them_.

"It is time," Bishop said as he stepped forward.

"For what?" I rasped, my throat suddenly dry. I remembered him mentioning an experiment the last time he was with me but I failed to remember if he told me what it was about.

"Come with me, Donatello," Bishop beckoned.

_Nope,_ I thought. I crouched and bared my teeth ready for a fight. I pounced and rushed towards the nearest guard. I roundhouse kicked him all the while disarming him. He went down like a rock. Grabbing his gun I shot at the other guards. Three of them went down but the others recovered quickly and started to fire at me. I desperately tried to dodge the blasts but it was hard being in such I confined space. Flipping off the wall I hit another guard and he fell. I tried to rush towards the door but Bishop blocked me. Taken by surprise I didn't have time to react as his foot snapped out and caught me on my injured side. I yelled out in pain and fell over. Still gripping the gun I aimed it at Bishop and fired. I missed. I tried again but another's gun connected with my head and I lost consciousness.


	3. Transformations and Discoveries

_Italics_ - Don's thoughts

****Bold** – Flashbacks **

**Chapter 3 (Transformations and Discoveries)**

As I regained consciousness I tried to move my hands but I couldn't. I opened my eyes and found myself in a different room and strapped to an examination table. I yanked my arms towards my body trying to dislodge the restraints encircling my wrists.

"I wouldn't if I were you." I started. Out of the shadows Bishop materialized. The light reflected off of his glasses making him seem ten times more sinister. "I can't have you hurting yourself before we begin."

"What are you going to do to me?" I gasped. "What do you want from me?"

"Your humanity, Donatello. I want your humanity." Pulling a tray of medial instrument towards him he picked up a needle. "I would sedate you for the injection but I don't know if that will hinder the experiment." He picked up a vial and filled the needle with its greenish contents. "It would also benefit the experiment for you to be awake and aware of the changes."

"What changes?" I wanted to ask but I was frozen in fear. I eyed the needle; slowly the tip pierced my arm and emptied its unknown contents into a main artery. Almost at once numbness took over my body. My limbs felt heavy and I could not move. Slowly the numbness faded and pain replaced it. I closed my eyes and clamped my jaw down to prevent myself from letting any noise to escape. Suddenly, amidst the pain, I feel a presence. A familiar presence...

_Leo!_ I tried to open my mind's eye and reach out to him. I brushed his presence but it recoiled, shocked by my pain. I tried to reach out again but I felt one of my bones snap. Pain drove my back to reality. I felt my skin stretching and my shell cracking and breaking.

The pain grew. I felt as if my whole body is being broken and reforming. I heard screaming emitting from my lips, making my throat sore. With a new wave of pain I let go of reality and slipped back into a painless world of darkness.

* * *

><p>Pain pulled me from the darkness. I shifted myself on the surface I had been laid on. Finding I could now move I slowly propped myself up. Maneuvering gently, as not to further aggravate my throbbing body, I placed myself in a more comfortable position. I finally realized I have been moved to a different room from the first two. The room looked like small jail cell. A bed, which I was sitting on, was across from a small desk and chair. In the far corner there was a sink and toilet.<p>

I was puzzled by the sudden change in accommodations. I stood up with the intent of looking through the desk's drawers to see if there was anything in them. As I stood I heard a swish of cloth against cloth. I turned and heard it again. Confused I looked down. Shocked I discerned that I was the one making the swishing sound.

_I'm wearing clothes? Impossible_.

It was true. I seemed to be wearing a kind of hospital gown with matching pants. I reached for the material to feel it when I caught sight of my hand. I let out a strangled scream. Holding the hand in question in front of my face I wiggled my fingers. At my mental request, five fingers moved.

_FIVE!_

My once olive green colored hands were now a pale, peachy color. And my once three fingers had become five. Shocked I stared at my newly transformed hands. I then looked down at my feet. Very anthropoid looking ones met my gaze. I wiggled all ten of my toes.

I looked back up. Glancing around the room I noticed a mirror above the sink that I didn't see before. I slowly start to walk toward the far corner. But after taking one step I almost fell over. I had barely enough time to catch myself on the desk in front of me. Confused by my sudden loss of balance I searched my back with my hands. I felt no shell, only cool smooth skin. I realized that my center of balance had changed.

_I have no shell!_

I began to freak out and tried to make it to the mirror as soon as possible. After falling twice I finally made it. Gripping the sink for support I took a deep breath and looked into the mirror. Staring back at me was not my usual reflection. A pale foreign face stared back instead. The face was round with a long narrow nose. High eyebrows framed its green and gold-flecked eyes. The mouth was thin-lipped and hanging open in astonishment. Two rows of pearly white, straight teeth could be seen from inside its mouth. On top of the head in the mirror was a messy mob of light brown hair. I raised my new hands and felt my face and ran them through my hair. It was all mine. I was staring at the new me.

My brain couldn't comprehend this development and my heart couldn't believe it. But my gut told me I was right; that somehow I was-

"Human," I gasped. The next thing I knew the floor was coming up to meet me as I fainted.


	4. Let the Testing Begin

_Italics_ - Don's thoughts

****Bold** – Flashbacks **

**Chapter 4 (Let the Tests Begin)**

When I awoke I was stiff. My head throbbed. I lifted my hand to my head and felt a large bump forming underneath the matted hair. I sighed; these blackouts are really taking a toll on my body. I propped myself up on the bed. _Wait, didn't I faint in the far corner next to the sink?_

"I see you are now awake Donatello." I whipped my head toward the voice. Bishop stood between the desk and me. "Since you survived the transformation and the shock of the discovery, I think we can begin testing."

"Wh-," my voice cracked and I began to dry cough. After a minute of coughing I cleared my throat and said, "I'm dehydrated and about to collapse from malnutrition. I would suggest you do something about that before you start testing me or whatever."

Bishop's open palm suddenly met my face. I raised my hand to the red mark that I now adorned. I stared in fright at the angered man above me. "Just because you now look human does not mean I forget what you once were. You are still a freak, an abomination, an accident," he spat. "Do not forget your place."

With that he turned and walked toward a door I had not noticed previously. He knocked on it and it opened. Silently he left the room.

I lay back onto the bed. Mentally running through the conversation I just had with Bishop. His reaction disturbed me. The Bishop I knew was always scarily calm and collected, I couldn't remember a single time I had seen the man act out of anger. I had been honest with Bishop. _I am weak_, I thought, _and my new body is only making things worse_.

Over the next five minutes I tried to make my way to the sink. Upon reaching it I turned on the faucet and filled my cupped hand with water. I slowly brought the makeshift cup to my mouth and began to drink. I felt slightly better once my thirst was satisfied. I raised my head and once again looked at my reflection in the mirror. The same face met my gaze only this time my cheek sported a red hand mark where Bishop had hit me.

I made my way back to the bed and eased myself into it. My body no longer throbbed in pain but was now numb. Exhaustion quickly over took me and I closed my eyes.

* * *

><p>Over the next three days I rested in my room and examined my new body. I had not seen Bishop since we had last spoke but it seemed he had taken my words to heart. Three meals are sent to me each day, along with water and juices. Because of this I had been slowly regaining my strength.<p>

My new body never ceased to amaze me. On my first day in this new environment I discovered that my new body was, in fact, new. It bared none of the scars I possessed when I had a terrapin form. However, I was not exactly sure how tall I was, possibly 5'10". Luckily I had studied the autonomy of humans so I was not too overwhelmed when I saw myself naked for the first time. Similarly, trying to go to the bathroom was a challenge but I figured it out. I could more easily walk after I had found my new center of balance. With no shell weighting me down I felt I could move even faster and jump higher. To keep my strength up I had been doing pushups. I had also been training myself to fight with this new body, should the opportunity arise that I am able to escape. Escape. That had been troubling me. I had come to the conclusion that this transformation is permanent. _If I escape or my brothers rescue me what will happen. I am no longer a turtle. Will they still call me brother? We are no longer the same species._ I grew sick to my stomach every time I thought of my family. I was afraid to see them again. _What will their reactions be like?_

On the second day in my new room I had discovered paper and writing utensils in the drawers of the desk. At first I had ignored them, I was never really good at drawing, that was always Mikey. However, on the third day I found myself drawing my brothers' weapons and filling the wall with difficult quadratic math equations and scientific theories to keep my brain stimulated.

On the third day I tried to understand scientifically what had happened to me. I discovered nothing. All my theories did not match up with all my observations. My on going theory was that I had been exposed to a second mutagen that caused me to mutate further into a human.

It was the fourth day when Bishop sent for me. The guard that usually brought me my meals accompanied me through many long, twisting white hallways until we stopped at a door. He knocked before opening the door. Still to weak to resist I was shoved into the room. I stumbled until I caught myself. I observed the new surroundings. The room was far from empty. I spotted a weight machine, chairs, charts, tables full of instruments, and several people. Bishop turned as I entered the room and walked toward me. He nodded at the guard that brought me in. The guard snapped to attention, saluted, and then left.

After watching him go I turned towards Bishop. Reaching out and he grabbed my shoulder. I flinched. Seeing my reaction he only smirked. Applying force to my shoulder he guided me toward the other people in the room. All three were in white lab coats; two men, one with dark hair and another with blonde hair, and one woman, who looked as if she could be April's sister, watched me as I was pushed in their direction.

"Doctors," Bishop greeted them. "This is the subject. Today I think we should start with the basics."

"Of course," the April's look-a-like answered. I was seated in a chair and my arms and legs were strapped down so I could move.

"What are you going to do?" I asked nervously.

The blonde-haired man closest to me answered simply by saying, "We need to study your genetics." The man then proceeded to take blood, hair, urine, and tissue samples. After about an hour the doctors, claiming that they had enough of me in test tubes for now, dismissed me. Bishop called a guard to take me back to my room. Once in my room I collapsed into my bed. Two hours later my dinner arrived for me. I didn't touch it.


	5. Day Thirteen

**_Italics_ - **Don's Thoughts

**Bold - **Flashbacks

**Chapter 5 (Day Thirteen)**

Over the next week I was taken back to the room daily. Each day I was put through a different test. One day I had my eyesight and reflexes tested, another day a physical exam, and another a test of my senses. Later in the week Bishop wished to see how much weight I could lift. I found these tests superficial but also helpful. With each test I learned more about my new body, its strengths and limits. The results also helped me create novel theories about changing myself back after I escaped.

It was my thirteenth day as a human and I was once again summoned to the testing room. Six guards now accompanied me wherever I went because it was discovered that I had a very strong human body and I was now fully recovered from the painful effects of my transformation.

Upon entering the testing room I was met with an unfamiliar scene. Only the dark-haired male doctor greeted me. All three doctors were always present during the tests. I was confused and had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. The second thing I noticed was that the guards were not dismissed. They were always dismissed. The last thing that made me uneasy was that the only thing in the room was an examination table with restraints and many torture devices.

Realization dawned on me and I tried to run. A guard grabbed me. Another guard caught my fist that I had raised to try and punch the first guard with. These two guards started to drag me to the examination table. I started to struggle like a wild animal, biting and thrashing about. I elbowed one guard in the face but another replaced his hold on me. Fear overtook me.

"No!" I screamed and lashed out again at a guard. Then suddenly pain blossomed on my lower back. I screamed in anguish and fell to the ground twitching. The doctor stood above me with a cattle rod in hand.

"Get him onto the table," he told the guards. I was grasped from all sides and lifted onto the table. Before I could react properly I was strapped onto the table securely. Once restrained the two injured guards exited the room, cradling their wounds, and closed the door. The others stayed behind Bishop waiting for orders. The doctor nodded at Bishop after he checked to make sure that I was completely helpless.

"You are dismissed," Bishop informed he guards. They saluted then filed out of the room. Once they were gone Bishop turned his attention towards me, "Today we will be testing tolerance to pain and torture. I am interested to see the amount of physical abuse you body can take."

"Y-you c-can't," I stammered. The aftereffects of the electric shock still taking effect on me. "T-th-that's inhum-m-mane."

"Ironic coming from you," Bishop smirked. "I can and I will. Doctor if you would."

"With pleasure Agent Bishop," the doctor responded. The doctor then proceeded to shock me again with the cattle rod. I screamed as the electricity ripped through my body. My back arched off the table and my limbs began to spasm. After about thirty seconds of continuous shock it abruptly ended. I collapsed against the table panting heavily. I opened my closed eyes, with my hazy vision I could see Bishop nod at the doctor. The doctor then raised his arm to shock me again.

"N-n-no, p-please don't," I begged. The words had barely left my mouth when I was electrocuted again. This time he didn't let up for a whole minute. When he stopped I couldn't feel my body and my throat was sore from screaming. I gasped for breath as if I were drowning. After a few seconds the doctor started again. I don't remember how long I stayed awake before I passed out.

* * *

><p>I woke in my room. Sitting on my table was a meal, some water, and a new change of clothes. My limbs ached and I waited several minutes before I attempted to get myself up. I slowly and painfully changed into my clean scrubs. I threw my sweaty, dirty ones into the far corner near the toilet. I was about to reach for some food when I noticed that someone had moved the drawings on my desk. I lifted up my drawing of Leo's katanas to find a note that was placed underneath it. I gingerly picked it up and sat down in the chair to read it. It said:<p>

"I am sorry. After I heard what had happened I visited you in your room but you were still unconscious. I left a new change of clothes. I will talk to the other doctors about this incident and hope it does not happen again. Sincerely, Dr. D. Hendric"

I read through the note several times. I was touched by the empathy of this doctor. I deduced that the author of the noted had to be the blonde-haired doctor because the handwriting was distinctively male and the dark-haired doctor conducted my torture. Silently, I thanked him and placed the note back underneath the drawing it had come from.


	6. Meeting David

_Italics_ - Don's Thoughts

**Bold **- Flashbacks

**Chapter 6 (Meeting David)**

The next day I was summoned as always to the testing room. I exited my room on stiff legs. I grew nervous because ten guards, rather than my usual six, accompanied me today. However, my fears were put to rest when I entered the room and found all three doctors in the room.

The guards were dismissed and I was asked to mount a treadmill. "Today we will test your endurance," 'April's sister' stated. I was then covered in dozens of small nodules that were to record my heart rate, brain activity, and other factors.

Then I was forced to run. After first it was a slow jog but about every two minutes the speed would get slightly faster. I lasted about forty minutes before I collapsed from exhaustion. I heard them say that I was running about fifteen miles per hour before I stopped. Not bad, I thought. The female and blonde-haired doctors seemed impressed by my display of speed but the dark-haired doctor simply frowned.

I was given some water and a ten-minute break. I was then asked to choose a comfortable speed on the treadmill and asked to run at that same pace for as long as I could. I choose a speed that felt closest to the speed I run when I go running with my brothers. I ran continuously for about two hours before I stopped myself. I personally was slightly disappointed. Sometimes I run with my brothers for three or four hours.

The blonde-haired doctor thanked me for my time. I was given some more water and dismissed. The guards were called and accompanied me back to my room. When I arrived there was a meal waiting for me and another note. I didn't react in front of the guards when I saw the note; I calmly walked into my room and waited for them to lock me in. When I heard the door snap closed behind me I rushed to the note interested to see what it said. The paper sported only two words: "six o'clock".

I was stumped by what the note said. It was clearly written in the same handwriting as the first note. _I guess I won't find out until six o'clock_.

My dinnertime meal usually came around six and was always brought in by an armed guard. But today when the door opened at six it was not an armed guard that entered the room, it was the blond-haired doctor. He held the tray with both hands and turned to face the guard that had admitted him into the room. "I will need fifteen minutes alone please. Medical matters," he told the guard. The guard didn't respond but just closed the door leaving me alone with the doctor.

The doctor turned towards me and moved to the desk. He seated himself in the chair and handed me the tray of food. "Thank you," I tell him as I accepted the tray.

The man nodded and responded saying, "I am sorry."

"There is no way you could have known."

"Yes there is, I found it suspicious when I was not requested to test you that morning. I should have realized-"

I cut him off, "It is in the past, let it stay there."

Our eyes lock and I smiled at him. He smiled back and then stuck his hand out in front of him. "David Hendric," he introduced himself.

"Donatello," I informed my new acquaintance. We shook hands.

"If you don't mind," he started uncomfortably. "But why are you here? This is the last place I expect to find a child, especially one with tests being run on him."

I tilted my head to one side. _He doesn't know?_ "I was kidnapped and brought here," I told him truthfully.

His reaction was priceless. He jumped up, shocked by the truth I told him. "Yes," I continued. "I was trying to find a part for a toaster my brother broke when I was jumped and knocked out." _My brother, Leonardo…they must think I'm dead by now_.

Suddenly the bed I was sitting on sagged under the added weight of David Hendric. "Truly they don't think that," the man said. I'm confused by his response, and then I realized I must have said that last part of my thought out loud.

"Yes, you are right. My brothers will find me. I know they will."

"I will-" David Hendric started but was cut off by someone knocking on the door. The door opened to reveal an armed guard.

"Sir, it is time for you to go."

"Why yes it is. Thank you." He turned to me. "Now you should be fine if you eat your dinner and go to bed early," he told me, then winked.

I catch on to his cover story and responded by saying, "I will and thank you Doctor."

He smiled and then exited with the guard. I turned back to the food he had handed me and began to eat.


	7. The Pain of Torture

_Italics _- Don's thoughts

**Bold** - flashbacks

**Chapter 7 (The Pain of Torture)**

The next two days pass by quietly. Both days I was called to the testing room and left within the same hour. I was tested on simple things, like how long I could hold my breath and how tall I was. I had guessed correctly I was 5'10" exactly. The nice doctor didn't visit me again or leave me any more notes but I was okay with that. I was pretty sure I now had an ally on the inside that I could use to escape.

It was the night of my sixteenth day as human when I brutally woken up in the dead of night. Stiff and tired I was led to the testing room by half a dozen guards. My brain tried to comprehend what was going on but it was too early in the morning and my brain was not fully awake. The door opened and I was herded into the room. The dark-haired doctor and the all too familiar examination table greeted me.

I gasped, now fully awake. I tried to struggle against the guards' strong hands but my body was not as awake as my brain and moved sluggishly. I was shoved roughly on top of the cool table. I tried to talk my way out of the situation but my mouth couldn't seem to form the words, instead they come out as jumbled syllables. _Why can't I move or talk? _

My circulation was cut off when the restraints were wound tightly around my wrists and ankles. Once immobile the doctor told the guards to leave. I tried to beg them to stay, to not leave me alone with this sadistic man, but no words crossed my lips.

I stared at the man before me. Fear had completely over taken my mind. _What is he going to do to me?_

"Don't be afraid, freak," the doctor whispered in my ear. He raised a scalpel and started to make and incision on my right arm. "You can't pass out and escape me this time. I drugged your dinner, you will have to stay awake and watch."

And I did, I watched him start to make cuts all up and down my arms. Thankfully the cuts weren't deep enough to scar but they hurt like hell. I tried to close my eyes and not watch but each time I did the deranged doctor burned the soles of my feet to keep me watching. "So you can't run," he told me later.

After what felt like hours I started to meditate with my eyes open to escape from the pain. I tried to block out what was happening and focused on my brothers. After a while I felt the presence that I had felt during my transformation. _Leo!_ I called. At first I heard nothing but then I heard a response.

_Donnie?_

_Yes, yes it's me. Help me Leo._

_Do you know where you are? I will come and get you._

Memories from the last conversation we had to together on my shell-cell overtake me. He had said the same thing. I paused trying to think if I knew where I was. _No. No. I don't know where I am_, I finally told him.

_Who took you? We tried looking for you at Shedder's tower but you weren't there._

_No. It was Bishop. He did something to me Leo! He chan_-

An electric shock ripped me from my conversation with Leo. I blinked and found myself staring at a very angry doctor with a cattle rod. "You can not escape this. You can't recede into your mind. FACE ME!" the man roared. He pressed the rod to my temple sending my body into spasms. I desperately tried to scream out but I couldn't. The electric pulses stopped. I can't take much more of this, I thought. I looked down at my body. My shirt has been removed and my torso had gashes everywhere. They leaked out my life's blood creating a red blanket over my body.

The doctor began to rub alcohol over my abrasions causing them to sting. For another half hour he continued and shocked me with the rod every time he thought I was trying to recede into my mind. I am exhausted. I can't feel anything. My body had grown numb and I felt light headed. I think I had lost too much blood. I passed out.

* * *

><p>I woke up in my room. My body throbbed. I slowly opened my eyes allowing them time to adjust to the light. I gently turned my head and looked down at one of my arms. White bandages peaked out from underneath a new shirt. I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.<p> 


	8. Escape

_Italics_ - Don's thoughts

**Bold **- Flashbacks

**Chapter 8 (Escape)**

I woke up with some one touching me. I whimpered and tried to move away from the curious hands.

"Shhhhh," a voice tried to quiet me. "It's me, David."

_David? Do I know a David?_ I thought, confused. _Oh yeah, the doctor_.

"Donatello, please wake up," the voice begged me.

I slowly complied. I opened my eyes to see my blonde-haired friend. I tried to open my mouth and speak but no words came out. "Please, there's no time to talk," David said. "We need to get you out of here."

"W-why?" I wheezed.

"I found you maybe ten hours ago and bandaged you up. Around the same time Agent Bishop informed the base that we were moving in the next twelve hours," he quickly explained. He grabbed a backpack from the foot of the bed and showed me some food and papers he had placed there. "I had a trustworthy friend hack into the base's system and get all the information we had on you and delete it. In this bag I put some survival supplies and a copy of those deleted files." He rushed to me and helped me sit up.

"Why are you doing this?" I questioned confused.

"I'm helping you escape, Donatello. But we don't have much time, hurry."

With David's help I stood up and was able to place the pack on my back. With his aid we slowly moved to the door. "Wait," I told him. I turned back to the desk and grabbed all my drawings and equations and his notes and placed them in the pack. Then I picked up a pen; _Just in case_, I thought. "Okay," I said to David. "Let's get out of here."

"Good, follow me." As we exited the room I observed the empty hallway.

"Where is everyone?" I asked as we turn to the right.

He slowly led me down the hallway before answering, "I don't know. It's odd." He peaked around the corner we reached. No one was there. We turned right again. It hurt to walk, the burns on the soles of my feet made each step painful. "So you can't run," the mad doctor told me. _Watch me_.

Halfway down this second hallway an alarm sounded aloft. Its shrill ring triggered flashing red lights and a mechanical voice: "Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Sector B Compromised!" The message repeated over and over again above us. David's pace quickened, I stumbled to catch up to him.

"That's our sector," he screamed to me over the siren. "Hurry!"

"I can't," I cried desperately. "My feet…I can't." I sobbed, the pain was taking a toll on me. The lacerations on my body started to open, reddening my bandages. My body couldn't take the stress of running. My legs gave out and I fell.

"Donatello!" David called to me. He spun and held out his hand for me to take. Suddenly a guard appeared around the corner behind David. The guard assessed the scene before him. I saw realization flash across his face. He raised his gun and fired.

"DAVID!" I screamed. Surprise and pain was etched upon the face of my friend. David's limp body collapsed before me. I stared at my friend; he stared back at me with unblinking eyes. I screamed out in distress.

I painfully got up and rushed the guard that had shot my friend. Before he could react I stabbed him in the neck with the pen I took with me from my room. Hot red liquid sprayed on my face. The guard gurgled and toppled to the ground, lifeless. I stood over the body breathing heavily. I picked up the man's gun and walked back to my friend. Leaning over David's body I closed his eyes. He looked peaceful now.

"Thank you," I whispered to him. My tears fell on his shirt, washing it clean from the blood that had created red Rorschach patterns on the white material.

I slowly stood myself up and looked up and down the hallway I was in. I started to half wobble, half run in the direction David had been going. I ran until came to a fork in the hallway. _Damnit, which way?_

_Right_, I told myself. _Go Right_.

I turned right and started to go down that hallway. My tears started to cloud my vision. I carelessly tried to wipe them away when I heard voices approaching from behind me. I pushed myself to go faster. The pain caused me to cry harder. I reached the end of the hallway and was about to turn the corner when a body came barreling around it. I screamed and shot the body with the gun I had taken from the guard. The body crashed to the ground. I then became aware of battle noises coming from around the corner.

Raising my gun, I turned around the corner. I ducted as another body came flying at me. I looked up and saw ten guards fighting three green blurs. _My brothers! But how?_

I gasped as I saw Raphael about to get hit by a guard from behind. I shouted and raised my gun, shooting the guard. Raph spun at me in surprise. "Hey kid," he yelled at me. "What cha doin' here?"

I ignored him and fired at two other guards near Leo. Tears obscured my vision as the men fell. The sudden ring of gunfire confused the remaining guards. Taking advantage of the distraction, my brothers quickly finished off the rest of the guards. My legs began to shake in pain and my feet throbbed from running on them. I dropped the gun and fell against a wall for support.

"Dude, you okay?" I looked up and found myself surrounded my brothers. I shrunk back towards the wall surprised by their closeness. My movement must have been misinterpreted because Mikey said, "It's okay; we won't hurt you."

I nodded. _I know_, I thought. _I know_.

Leo gently put his hand on my bandaged shoulder and asked, "Have you seen a turtle like us? We are looking for our brother."

I nodded again.

Their reaction was immediate. Leo and Raph looked at each other, their eyes shining. Mikey smiled and exclaimed, "Donnie's here!"

I tried to tell them what had happened; that I was Donatello and that my friend David was dead. But all that came out was more tears and garbed nonsense that sounded like: "I-I-I…David…h-he…Don…d-d-dead." I sobbed. _No. That's not what I mean. It's me, Don! David, he's dead. But I'm here, alive._

My brothers' expressions went from excited and hopeful to horrified and somber. Raph's expression turned dark and he shouted out as he punched the wall. Mikey began to cry. Leo gripped my shoulder even tighter and I yelled out in pain. Hearing my pained yell, Leo knelt in front of me. "You're hurt," he stated. Lifting up the sleeve of my shirt he exposed my darkening bandages to my other brothers.

I opened my mouth again to explain to my brothers what really happened. But I was stopped when the mechanical voice sounded again: "Self-destruct Initiated! One Minute And Counting!"

"We need to go!" Leo shouted as he let go of my shoulder. "NOW!"

"But Don-" Mikey started.

Raph caught his arm, "He's gone, Mikey." He then turned to me and said, "Yer comin' with us, kid." He then placed his twin sai in his belt and bent to pick me up. My older brother threw me over his shoulder, backpack and all, and stood up. "Let's get the hell outta here!" He turned and then started to run with me on his back in the opposite direction I had come from. I heard the patter of feet and knew my other brothers were following Raph.

Cold air hit my face as we burst outside. _We are outside_! I looked up at the stars. Oh, how I missed them. Raph continued to run when, all of a sudden, an explosion rocked the ground and heat met the cold night air. The force of the explosion sent Raph and me flying. Because I was lighter than Raph I was thrown further. I landed heavily on my side. I cried out in pain. I slowly got up and looked at the burning building, my prison for almost a month. Just as I was about to turn and join my brothers a secondary explosion sent debris into the air. A big wooden beam came rushing towards my face. I raised my hands to protect myself, but it was too late. I was hit.

* * *

><p>I drifted in and out of consciousness. I vaguely remembered being moved and a gentle rock of a vehicle beneath me. Pain clouded all my senses and continuously sent me back into darkness.<p>

Whispering voices met my ears, moving blurs passed before my eyes.

I was moving again. The movement aggravated my injuries. A strangled scream escaped me. Tears blossomed and created tracks down my cheeks. Smooth, gentle hands and comforting words tried to calm me. My pain slowly turned into numbness and I relaxed slightly.

I felt myself loosing consciousness again. Before I was lost I whispered, "Thank you."


	9. Identity Revealed

_Italics _- Don's thoughts

**Bold** - Flashbacks

**Chapter 9 (Identity Revealed)**

I felt like I was waking up on a cloud. I thick comforter and a colorful array of pillows welcomed me when I opened my eyes. The room I was in was dark. I pulled my heavily bandaged hand from underneath the blanket and felt around the edge of the bed, looking for a light. I stopped when raised voices reached me ears; they were coming through the door.

Forgetting the light I gingerly raised myself from the comfy bed and made my way painfully towards the door. I opened it a crack and peered out. I saw April's living room with my brothers standing in the middle of it, arguing. _Why am I in April's apartment? Why didn't they bring me back to the lair?_

My brothers answered my unspoken questions. "How can we trust 'im? We don't even know 'im?" Raph asked Mikey accusingly.

"I can just sense it," Mikey shrugged.

"So we should trust 'im because ya have a feelin'?" Raph demanded.

Leo jumped into the fray and said, "He knew Don right? Maybe we should talk to him before we do anything else."

Mikey nodded, "I agree. He can't be working for Bishop. Did you see his wounds? He was tortured."

I backed away from the door having heard enough. _What should I do? Should I tell them that I'm Donatello? I'm afraid they won't accept me. I'm dangerous. Imagine how dangerous I am now that I'm human. _

_Yes, I will tell them the truth_, I decided. _I will need their help to try and figure out how to change myself back_.

Feeling tired I made my way back to the bed and climbed in. Just had gotten comfortable when the light turned on. "Oh," a voice came from the doorway. "You're awake."

I looked up and found April standing in the doorway with her hand on the doorknob. "Would you like some water? Soup perhaps?"

I struggled to answer her. Sensing my dilemma April entered the room and sat on the foot of the bed. "It's okay? You're safe," she calmly told me. "Here," she offered her hand to me. "Let me help you to the kitchen."

Taking her hand in mine April slowly guided me to the door. My body ached and my nervous system sent my brain messages telling me I was in pain and should rest. On our way to the kitchen we entered the living room. My brothers stopped talking and turned to face April and me. Raphael glared at me as I passed. I stopped and stared back. April nudged me and I continued to walk to the kitchen.

I gently placed myself into a chair at the table in the center of the kitchen. "Water?" April questioned. I nodded. The scrap of a chair being pulled back alerted me that someone else had sat down across from me at the table. I lifted my head and locked eyes with Mikey.

I broke eye contact when April placed a tall glass of water before me. I casually lifted the glass to my mouth and drank hungrily. I placed the empty glass on the table and thanked April.

"Sooooooooooooo…" said Mikey, slowly drawing out the vowel. "You knew Don?"

_TELL THEM_! I open my mouth to answer when I began to dry cough. April quickly refilled my empty glass with water. I lifted it again and drank. After a few sips I placed it down on the table. I tried a second time to talk and words came out. "I am Donatello."

Mikey's reaction was instant. "Don?" he gasped. He got up and made his way to my side of the table. Poking my head with one green finger he gasped again. "I knew it! I knew you couldn't be dead! GUYS IT'S DON!" he shouted into the other room.

"Mikey, cha talkin' 'bout?" Raph inquired storming into the room. "Are ya delusional. Donnie ain't here!"

"No, you don't get it do you, this kid is Donnie. He's human somehow," Mikey explained.

Leo, entering the room behind Raph, shook his head. "Mikey, stop goofing off. That is not Donatello."

"Quite the contrary, Leonardo," I stated, finding my voice. "I am Donatello and I can prove it." I turned to face Raph and spoke, "Raph, when we where ten you found an encyclopedia in the sewers and gave it to me for Christmas. Leo," I continued turning to my other brother. "You were convinced that the toaster you broke before I disappeared was possessed." Finally I turned to my last brother, "Mikey, if you don't believe it's me then I will tell Raph what really happened to his favorite DVD."

"But I thought we agreed that we would never mention that again-" Mikey stopped and looked at Raph. "I mean…what are you talking about crazy boy who thinks he's Donnie," he said pointing an accusing finger at me.

I smiled and started to laugh when Raph smacked Mikey up side the head. "God, I missed you guys."

"And we missed you," Leo reassured me as he sat down at the table. "But what happened? How are you human?"

My face fell. The mood in the room changed and my two other brothers joined Mikey and I at the table.

I began to start to tell my story. "After I was taken I was locked in a bare room for two day I think. Bishop visited me once," I paused. _Should I tell them what Bishop told me? That I am dangerous. No_, I decided, _they don't need to know_. "He ranted about an experiment he wanted to try and that I was the 'perfect test subject' or something. He then left me alone again for hours, with no food or water. When he returned for me he had guards with him. I tried to fight but I was knocked out. When I woke up I was in a different room and strapped to a table. Bishop then injected me with what I deduced was a type of mutagen that caused me to go through a secondary mutation and transform me into my current form. It was a painful but I felt a presence with me in the room. It was you Leo, wasn't it?"

Leo nodded and gestured for me to continue, "I made contact with Leo for a spilt second before I fell unconscious from the immense pain. When I woke up I was in a different room and well…" I smiled embarrassingly. "Let's just say I fainted when I discovered that I was human. When I awoke again Bishop was with me. He told me that he would be 'testing' my new form. I was summoned to another room. Three doctors, two men and a woman, met me. They began to run tests on my new body and me. At first they were simple tests like how much weight I could lift and how well I could see. After a week of testing I was brought again to the room but-" I stopped, remembering the dark-haired doctor shocking me with the cattle rod.

"Do you need to stop?" Leo questioned.

"No, it's okay," I responded. "On that day I was only greeted by one doctor. He and Bishop wished to test the pain tolerance that my new body could take. The doctor continuously shocked me until I passed out. But if it weren't for this incident I would have never had escaped."

"What do ya mean Don?" Raph asked.

"Well," I started. "When I woke up in my room there was a note waiting for me. It was from the other male doctor who had heard about my torture and he informed me that he would talk to Bishop and make sure it would not happen again. The next day I was called once again to the testing room. This time all three doctors were there and they began to test me on endurance and such things. Once again when I arrive back to my room there was another note waiting for me. I opened it and there was a time written in it: 'six o'clock'. When six o'clock came the second male doctor came to visit me. He introduced himself as David Hendric. We got to talking and became friends."

I paused and took a sip of water from my glass. "The next few days were quiet and I wasn't visited again by David…" I skipped all events about my torture at the hands of the dark-haired doctor and picked up my story where I contacted Leo with my mind through meditation.

"Yes, I remember," Leo verified. "But why did you get cut off?"

I ignored his question and continued my story. "One night I was woken by being shaken awake by David. He told me that Bishop had issued the order for the base to be moved. David gave me a backpack with the files on me from the computer and other supplies. In the confusion of everyone packing up the base we escaped my room. Alarms began to sound an intruder alert." I was whispering my story at this point. "David was shot in the back trying to help me escape. I attacked the guard. I then grabbed his gun and began to run. I was about to rush around a corner when a body hurtled around it. Scared I shot at it. I then heard battle noises so I turned the corner to investigate. And I guess you know the rest," I said finishing my tale.

The room was filled with silence for the next several seconds. To break the tension I asked the occupants of the room where my backpack was located.

"Oh, one minute!" Mikey exclaimed. Jumping up from his seated position he ran into the next room. He returned a second later with the dirty and tattered pack. "Here you go."

I opened it and removed the drawings I had done and placed them on the table for all to see. Then I opened the bag to show them all the now deleted files about me. "Here is all the information required for me to change myself back," I informed my brothers. "I just need to examine them carefully and whip up a cure."

Leo reached down and picked up a still life drawing of his katanas. Mikey reached out and picked the rest of the rough sketches of weapons and pages full of long equations. "You drew these?" Mikey inquired.

I nodded. "I didn't have much to do when I was left alone for hours on end."

After checking the contents of the pack and assuring myself that everything was there I grew aware of how mentally and physically tired I was. I yawned.

"All right, mister," April said tapping my shoulder. "Back to bed before you pass out."

I nodded tiredly and allowed myself to be guided back to the room I had woken up in. As the heavy comforter encased me I fell asleep.


	10. Waking in the Lair

_Italics_ - Don's thouhgts

**Bold **- Flashbacks

**Chapter 10 (Waking in the Lair)**

When I woke up again I was no longer warm. The plush comforter had been replaced with two thinner blankets. I heard the far away rumble of a subway and realized I must be in the lair.

I lay in bed a little longer and took in the sounds of what I assumed to be my bedroom. After several minutes I heard someone pass by my door in the direction of the kitchen.

_Mikey_, I thought. I knew my brothers too well.

Attempting to get out of bed was painful. I gave up twice before finally maneuvering myself into a standing position at the foot of the bed. I reached out and grabbed one of the thin blankets that had been covering me and wrapped myself in it. The sweat pants and t-shirt, which I assumed were Casey's, were not very warm and extremely big. I then slowly made my way to the door. Five feet from the knob my big toe struck a very solid object. "Shit!" I cursed. Half blinded by the pain, and the other half due to the lack of lighting in my room, I fumbled for the light switch while trying the cradle my throbbing toe.

Hopping on one foot I reached out in the direction of what I thought to be the switch. I stumbled forward and lost my balance. In an attempt to catch myself I leaned back and let go of my foot, which I held in my hand. This completely threw my balance in the opposite direction and I was unable to try to catch myself this time around. With a strangled yelp, I fell backward. Crashing to the floor my head smacked the ground. Black spots appeared in my vision. I cursed again.

The blow stunned me. After a moment I tried to lift myself from my present location on the ground. While I was trying, and failing, to get up without causing myself more pain, which at this point was overwhelming, the door banged open and the light came on. The sudden brightness caught me off guard and the sound of the door created a ringing in my ears. I cursed for a third time.

"Are you okay?" Mikey said. "I heard you yell."

I must have looked ridiculous. I was sprawled on my back on the floor in my bedroom in a blanket and ill-fitted clothes trying to cradle both my head and toe all at the same time.

"No," I croaked in response.

Mikey blinked. I had to have sounded as bad as I looked because he started to laugh. Not chuckle. But full out belly laugh. His laughter only made my head throbbed worse. After about a minute his laughter was reduced to a chortle and an occasional gasp for air.

I frowned. "Are you going to help me up or stand there and laugh all day?" I inquired angrily.

My question only caused Mikey to renew his laughing with more fervor. Knowing it would be hopeless at this point to attain help from my laughing brother I tried top pick myself up from my precarious position on the floor.

Raph must have heard Mikey's shrill laughter because he appeared behind Mikey looking annoyed. Seeing my dilemma he immediately took action. "Shut up," he snapped at Mikey. He quickly silenced him with a slap to the back of the head. "Help 'im up," he commanded, pointing at my crumpled form.

Sullen, Mikey entered my room from his location in the doorway and gripped my out stretched hand. And with a quick jerk and applied physics I was standing erect once again. "Thanks," I mumbled. I fixed the blanket on my shoulders and turned back toward my bed. I carefully avoided objects on the floor as I glided across the room.

"Where are you going?" Mikey asked. "I thought you were trying to get up?"

I collapsed into the bed and said, "I never should have tried to get up. I'm going back to sleep." I pulled the blankets to my chin and rolled to my side, my back facing the door. "Can you turn off the light and close the door please?" I requested. A second later the door snapped shut and footsteps were heard receding down the hall.

Sighing I buried myself deeper into the covers. _I am never leaving this bed again_, I thought as I drifted off the sleep.


	11. Memories and Injuries

_Italics _- Don's thoughts

**Bold** - Flashbacks

**Chapter 11 (Memories and Injuries)**

"Hey, Don? You need to get up," a voice echoed above me. I ignored the voice and buried myself deeper under the blankets.

"Donatello, please wake up!"

Foreign hands were now shaking me. I frowned. I weird sense of déjà vu over came me. "David?" I mumbled into my pillow.

_**Flashback**_

**I woke up with some one touching me. I whimpered and tried to move away from the curious hands. **

"**Shhhhh," a voice tried to quiet me. "It's me, David."**

**David? Do I know a David? I thought, confused. Oh yeah, the doctor.**

"**Donatello, please wake up," the voice begged me.**

_**End Flashback**_

"David!" I gasped snapping my eyes open. My deceased friend stood before me; his hands on my shoulders in the process of shaking me awake. _Wait, you're dead. How can you be here?_ "You're dead?"

I began to panic. I didn't recognize my darkened surroundings. My heart sped up and my breathing became erratic. I stared back at the face of my fallen friend. He was now deathly pale and blood dripped from his gaping mouth. Blank, glassy eyes bore into mine.

"Don?" the figure said.

I screamed.

A hand connected with my cheek and my head snapped to the left. I raised my hand to my stinging cheek.

_**Flashback**_

**Bishop's open palm suddenly met my face. I raised my hand to the red mark that I now adorned. I stared in fright at the angered man above me. "Just because you now look human does not mean I forget what you once were. You are still a freak, an abomination, an accident," he spat. "Do not forget your place."**

**_End Flashback_**

This new memory flooded my senses. Still gripping my cheek I scooted back to the far corner of my bed trying to get away from Bishop, who's form had now replaced David's. Bishop's signature smirk danced across his face. The lenses of his sunglass glinted in a nonexistent light.

"I'm sorry," I whimpered. "I didn't mean it. I now my place, I know my place," I tired to convince both the man before me and myself that this statement was true. I covered my head with my hands and apologized again, "I'm sorry, Bishop, I'm sorry."

Suddenly hands grabbed me. I tried to struggle but they snatched at my flailing limbs and pressed them against my bed. My moving appendages got tangled in the blankets forcing me to become still. I was unable to move.

_**Flashback**_

**A guard grabbed me. Another guard caught my fist that I had raised to try and punch the first guard with. These two guards started to drag me to the examination table. I started to struggle like a wild animal, biting and thrashing about. I elbowed one guard in the face but another replaced his hold on me. Fear overtook me.**

"**No!" I screamed and lashed out again at a guard. Then suddenly pain blossomed on my lower back. I screamed in anguish and fell to the ground twitching. The doctor stood above me with a cattle rod in hand.**

**_End Flashback_**

"No!" I yelled. I broke free of the set of hands but suddenly more replaced them: grabbing, snatching, hurting. I tried to rip free but couldn't. Another memory seized me.

**_Flashback_**

**I tried to struggle against the guards' strong hands but my body was not as awake as my brain and moved sluggishly. I was shoved roughly on top of the cool table. I tried to talk my way out of the situation but my mouth couldn't seem to form the words, instead they come out as jumbled syllables. Why can't I move or talk? **

**My circulation was cut off when the restraints were wound tightly around my wrists and ankles. Once immobile the doctor told the guards to leave. I tried to beg them to stay, to not leave me alone with this sadistic man, but no words crossed my lips. **

**I stared at the man before me. Fear had completely over taken my mind.**

**_End Flashback_**

I screamed. Bishop and the three doctors stood above me. The dark-haired male doctor raised a cattle rod. I screamed again and began to struggle anew. The cattle rod met my neck and pain blossomed. After a second or two I blacked out.

* * *

><p>The low hum of people talking woke me up. I lay still and listened to the voices, refusing to open my eyes.<p>

"-my fault," I heard Mikey say.

Leo's voice responded saying, "No it's not, Mikey."

"If I hadn't tried to wake him up-"

Raph cut Mikey off, "Or if I din' slap 'im to get 'im out of it-"

"Or if I hadn't grabbed his arms to keep him from hurting himself…" Leo finished.

I could hear the awkward shuffle of feet and someone sigh. After a moment Mikey's voice whispered, "Thank goodness Master Splinter was here to do that Volcan Nerve Pinch thingy on Donnie. I can't imagine what would have happened if he hadn't been knocked out."

More silence.

"I'm goin' ta kill Bishop," I then heard Raph mutter. "I'm gonna kill 'im."

"No you're not Raph," Leo chastised.

"Yeah I am," Raph's voice grew in volume in response. "Did ya see how Donnie was reactin' when he thought I was Bishop?"

"I saw. I was there!" Leo's volume had now matched Raph's.

"Ya coulda fooled me," was the heated response.

"We can't just go and take revenge when Don is still hurt, he needs us to be with him right now. And going out and getting yourself killed will not help matters. You will not go!"

"Is that an order?" I heard Raph snarl.

"It is now."

_Fight_, I thought. _Better do something before they kill each other_.

I slowly shifted my position in bed to make it look like I was waking up from my slumber. My bed groaned in protest of my now moving form. My movement didn't seem to be noticed because I still heard Leo and Raph arguing so I decided to bring it up a notch. I whimpered.

The effect was instantaneous. Silence met my ears. I shifted my form again and whimpered for a second time.

I hand reached out to comfort me but I quickly shifted my body away and winced from the sudden contact. The hand withdrew and a voice replaced it. "Donnie?" it whispered.

Trying to make my voice sound as tired and as scared as I could, which wasn't a hard task. I spoke, my voice like sandpaper, "G-guys?"

I slowly opened my eyes to see my brothers standing before me. Leo hovered over me, his hand cradled in the other as if it had been burnt when it touched my shoulder. "Don, are you okay?" he asked me.

I closed my eyes tiredly. _Fight adverted_, I smugly thought.

My fatigue over took me and I relaxed, allowing myself to sink further into my warm bed. I forgot my brothers were in my room when-

"Don?" Mikey questioned.

"Hmm?" I hummed, not opening my eyes.

"Do you need anything?"

I thought about the question. _Food, drink, new bandages_… "Bathroom," I mumbled.

Silence.

I cracked my eye open. "Can you help me to the bathroom?" I asked the occupants of my room. My brothers stared back at me, clearly uncomfortable with helping me to the bathroom because of my current human form. I sighed. "You don't have watch," I said rolling my eyes.

"Come on. I'll take ya," Raph grumbled. He pushed passed Leo to be next to my bed. I held out my pale hand so he could help me up. Raph gently grabbed it, evidently afraid he would break me, and helped me get out of bed. With his assistance I made my way stiffly into the hallway toward to bathroom.

"I got it from here," I told Raph as we stopped in front of the bathroom's closed door. He nodded and opened to door for me. I stepped onto the cool tile and made my way towards the toilet.

After washing my hands I painfully made my way back to the door. My old injuries began to throb. With each step I aggravated the healing wounds on the bottom of my feet and the blisters on the souls began to burst. I gasped in pain. After taking a few deep breaths I opened the door to face Raph. He glanced at me when I exited the bathroom. Raph grabbed my elbow and directed me back to my room. Halfway there another blister opened. I tried to contain myself and not make a noise but when another burst I wobbled and gasped. Raph snatched at my other elbow to steady my now teetering form.

Raph slowly lowered me to the floor. "What's wrong?" he inquired, staring at me intensely.

"F-feet," I informed him, squirming underneath the scrutiny of his gaze.

His eyes traveled to my feet that were now oozing blood and puss onto the clean floor around me. I glanced behind me and saw that there was a trail of bloody footprints leading from the bathroom to my seated form on the ground. Raph followed my gaze and stiffened at the sight of the bloody prints. Then, suddenly, without asking, he picked up my crumpled, bleeding body and threw me over his shoulder. I squeaked in protest but did nothing further to complain about the harsh treatment of my body.

After scooping me up he rushed down the hall to my room. Raph burst, unceremoniously, into my room and announced, "Get 'im some bandages."

Mikey quickly ran from the room to get the first aid kit.

"What happened?" Leo questioned as Raph placed me on my bed.

"His feet started bleedin'," was Raph's gruff reply.

Before Leo could ask more Mikey reentered the room with the bandages that

Raph had requested. Leo took them and went to the foot of my bed to examine my feet that Raph was now propping up on an extra pillow. Leo poked a blister on my foot. Pain shot up my nerve endings in my leg to my brain to tell me that that had hurt. I gasped at the pain and tried to contain the tears that were threatening to spill.

"How did you get these?" Leo demanded.

"Burnt them," I said. "Second degree."

Leo gave me a look that said, "I know that's not the whole truth" and began to wrap my feet in gauze. "How did you really get them?"

"He gave them to me."

"Who? Bishop?"

I shook my head, "I don't know his name."

"Why?"

I closed my eyes and lay back on my bed. "So I couldn't run," I whispered.

"That's sick," Mikey said.

Instead of voicing my agreement I simply hummed my compliance.

Leo must have interpreted my fatigued response because once he finished bandaging my feet he said, "We'll go now and let you sleep." He waited for me to reply but I was too tired to. "Call if you need anything."

I heard him usher Raph and Mikey from the room before snapping the door firmly behind him locking me in with the darkness of my room. I shifted to find a comfortable position. Listening to my older brother's advice I then fell asleep.


	12. A Late Lunch

_Italics_ - Don's thoughts

**Bold **- Flashbacks

**Chapter 12 (A Late Lunch)**

Memories filled my dreams, leaving me gasping for breath and trying to remember what I had dreamed about each time I woke up. After the third time I woke I heard a soothing voice call to me, "My son."

Startled, I looked to the right to find Master Splinter seated at my bedside. I realized this was the first time I had seen Master Splinter since my transformation into my new humanoid form. My tense shoulders reflected my unease with the situation. But my shoulders soon relaxed when a smile graced Splinter's face. "Father?" I inquired shakily moving myself into a seated position.

"Yes, my son." He replied back reassuringly.

We sat together in my room in silence for several moments before Master Splinter asked me, "Do you wish to tell me about your nightmare?"

I shook me head, "I don't remember what is was about."

Master Splinter nodded understandingly. "My son," he said tiredly. "I sense fear and worry about you. Do you wish to speak to me about this?"

"No, Master Splinter," I responded tiredly. "I wish to conquer this myself before asking help from others."

Master Splinter smiled sadly and nodded. "Donatello, you have always been one of the strongest among your brothers, you never ask for help unless totally necessary and you always accomplish things on your own. Michelangelo continuously asks for assistance and Raphael, though he might not ask at first, always does in time. And Leonardo would not be the leader he is if he didn't seek the advice of his team or his Master. But you, my son, are different-" he paused, unsure what to say next. Then finally he said, "Come to me when you are ready. For you, Donatello," Master Splinter told me. "My door is always open."

"Thank you, Master Splinter." I smiled.

Then, suddenly, my hunger and thirst hit me like a wreaking ball. "Master Splinter?"

"Yes, Donatello?" Splinter replied.

"I'm hungry," I told him timidly.

Master Splinter chuckled. "Of course. Do you require assistance?"

I glanced at my newly bandaged feet. I nodded embarrassed. I didn't want to have more wounds open and create more of a mess.

"I will get your brother to help you." Splinter slowly got out of the chair he was sitting in and picked up his walking stick. With out haste he made his way to the door and exited my room. A minute later he returned with Leonardo in tow.

"Hungry?" Leo questioned playfully.

I nodded again. "I feel like I haven't eaten in days," I told him.

He playful mood changed to one of resignation. "You haven't," he reported to me somberly.

"Oh."

"Come on, let's get you to the kitchen." Leo gingerly helped me out of my bed. "Can you walk?" he asked.

"I think so," I responded.

Leaning on his shoulder for support, Leo and I slowly progressed out of my room into the hallway. I stumbled once or twice and Leo's grip tightened to make sure I didn't take a spill. We finally made it down the stairs and to the kitchen after what seemed like hours. I plopped myself down in a chair as gently as I could. I smiled up at Leo's worried face.

"What would you like?" he inquired.

I raised my eyebrows and replied seriously, "I refuse to eat any food that you would make me seeing you can not even properly use a toaster. You might unwittingly poison me or something."

Leo looked horrified. "I would never!" he exclaimed.

I then broke into a smile and began to laugh – no matter how much it hurt to do so. Leo broke into a grin and asked, "I'm not that bad at cooking am I?"

"Oh, you are, dear brother. You are," I told him.

He rolled his eyes. "Shall I just fetch Mikey to make you something?"

"Please do."

Shaking his head and smiling, Leo left the kitchen to find Michelangelo. A few seconds later I heard footsteps approached the kitchen and, as expected, someone entered the room. Upon entering Raphael looked up startled to find me sitting at the kitchen table. "What ya doin' in here," he demanded.

"Hello to you, too," I responded sarcastically.

His eyes narrowed at my comment. I sighed. "Don't worry. Leo helped me into the kitchen because I was hungry. He then threatened to cook for me." Raph barked a laugh at this statement. "So I sent him to go get Mikey so I could actually eat some eatable food."

Raph nodded and sat down across from me. He scanned my body quickly, probably looking for any new injuries. Satisfied with finding none he asked, "How ya feelin' Donnie?"

"I've had better days," I shrugged.

He nodded again. Raph looked uncomfortable about something and was staring intently at his hands, which were placed on the table in front of him. "What is it Raph?" I said. "Clearly something is bothering you."

Raph opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted when Mikey plundered into the room with Leo not far behind him. "I heard someone was in need of Master Chef Michelangelo!" Mikey exclaimed. I ignored him and continued to stare at Raph for a second before realizing that I had missed my moment to figure out what was eating at Raphael. Mentally sighing I turned my gaze to a beaming Mikey. Drunk with my attention Mikey began to literally bounce around the kitchen in search of ingredients to make an extravagant meal. Leo placed himself in the seat to my right and asked me, "Do you think you can stomach solid food?"

"Maybe," I responded. "But just to be safe I should wait a day."

"You hear that Mikey!" Leo called.

With his head in a cupboard Mikey's muffled reply was, "Tomato soup and grilled cheese then?"

I nodded and said, "That should be fine."

With the promise of food on the way the mood was lifted. Small talk erupted from my brothers. I pushed my conversation with Raph aside as I focused on my cheerfully rambling brother who was now busily making… _Lunch? Dinner?_ It was then I didn't realize what time it was. "What time is it?" I suddenly asked the occupants of the kitchen.

Mikey glanced at the stove clock from his position at the counter. "It's almost two. Why?"

I frowned. _How long have I been sleeping and recovering? Leo said that it had been days since I have eaten_, I thought. I turned to face Leo, wanting to fully see his reaction to my question. "How long has it been?" I asked him.

Silence quickly covered the room like thick wool blanket.

Leo shifted uncomfortably and his eyes swept the room for assistance in answering my question. "What do you mean?" he inquired innocently, trying, and failing, to plead ignorance to my question.

"Leo," I stressed his name through gritted teeth. "How long have I been sleeping?"

He gulped, clearly under stress. "You've been recovering for about a week," Leo told me.

I search his face for any trace of lies. Finding none I nodded, accepting his answer as truth. "Oh."

"Lunch is served!" Mikey announced, trying to alleviate the awkward silence that had once again settled over the kitchen's occupants. The aroma of food quickly filled the air and the in no time the table was laden with hot, steamy food. A hot bowl of tomato soup was placed in front of me by Mikey before he sat down to the left of me with his own soup and grilled cheese sandwich. I murmured my thanks and picked up my spoon with the intention to eat. Around me my brothers had started to eat. I paused, however, and watched my family eat for several moments. Leo must have sensed my hesitation because he looked up from his bowl and caught my eye. I smile at him reassuringly and turned to my own bowl and began to eat the hot liquid slowly.

After lunch was eaten, the dirty dishes were cleared, and praise was given to the beaming chef, I yawned. Leo was suddenly at my side asking if I wanted to go back to my room. I nodded tiredly and accepted his hand as he helped me out of my chair. Placing my arm around his shoulder for support, we made the slow trek back to my room. We made it up the stairs without incident and only had to stop once for a breather before reentering my room. I soon had collapsed on my bed and covered myself with my blankets, enveloping myself in their familiar warmth. I vaguely remembered the sound of the door closing before I fell into a peaceful sleep.


	13. The Effects of Shopping

_Italics_ - Don's thoughts

**Bold **- Falshbacks

**Chapter 13 (The Effects of Shopping)**

Over the next three days I slept less and less and began to require not as much aid to move about the lair. My feet had healed properly and the rest of my injuries from my time in captivity were on the mend. Only two or three of the more serious ones still caused me any pain.

Leonardo seemed to be constantly hovering over my shoulder wherever I went. It was overbearing to say the least. He only left my side when I was sleeping or he and my brothers were training. It was as if he was afraid that if he took his gaze off me for a minute I would disappear and never be seen again. It took everything in my being not to snap at him and send him away but in a small way I appreciated his company. His presence was comforting and it reminded me of when I was with Bishop how I felt Leo's presence with me.

Michelangelo was back to his old self and as energetic as ever. He announced he would be my personal chef until I was one hundred percent better, which was nice until he began to experiment with new dishes and attempted to force me to try and eat them. Luckily, since Leo has been pretty much attached to my hip, he saved me from having to partake in Mikey's outrageous and uneatable meal plans. When Mikey wasn't cooking for me he was either playing video games, watching television or movies, skateboarding, or annoying Raph.

Speaking of Raphael, he seemed to be avoiding me. I haven't had an actual conversation with him since we had had our short confrontation in the kitchen a few days ago. Raph was incessantly out with Casey, holed up in the garage needlessly fixing his motorcycle, or locked in his room with his stereo's volume on full capacity. I caught a glimpse of him from a far a few times but when he caught sight of my gaze he quickly maneuvered out of my line of vision. It hurt my feelings that Raph was giving me the cold shoulder and I was determined to find out why soon.

Leo's voice suddenly interrupted my musings about the last few days when he asked me, "Don, are you okay? Do you need anything?"

I tried to contain a sigh but wasn't able to catch it in time. I shifted my seated position on the couch so I could fully see his face. "I'm a little cold," I confessed. I had recently discovered that the sewers were much chillier and damp than I had previously observed. _It must that I'm now human_, I thought. _Now being warm-blooded I can't adequately live in such an environment in Casey's giant baggy clothes. It never bothered me as a turtle but now_…

"Do you want a blanket?" Leo offered.

I shook my head. "I think I need some reasonable clothes," I said, gesturing to the present garments I was wearing.

"Oh," was all Leo said.

"Yeah," I added in agreement.

"Well, I could ask April to bring some new clothes down when she comes and visits later today. Did I tell you she wanted to come and see how you were doing? She's coming around three," Leo informed me.

I nodded remembering April's call yesterday when she complained she hasn't seen me recently. "Call her," I encouraged.

Leo complied and pulled out his shell-cell, dialing up April number. After a few rings April picked up. "Hey April, it's Leo…Yeah, we're all good…Well the reason I was calling was because Don needs some proper clothing and I was wondering if you could bring some new clothes when you came over this afternoon. We could reimburse you… Are you sure?" Leo paused listening to April again. He then glanced at me as if trying to measure my form and said, "I don't know about any of that. I don't really have experience in that kind of area…" Leo face suddenly paled considerably. I look of horror slowly over came his features. "April?" he asked shakily. Horror was quickly replaced by panic as he hastily tried to deter April from whatever she was saying. "April, I really don't th-" he was cut off. A pause. "Ummm," he said awkwardly. Another pause. "Okay bye." He sighed and hung up the phone.

"What did she say?" I questioned.

"Well you know how April can be," Leo said vaguely. "What I mean is once she gets an idea I her head its hard to persuade her differently-"

"Just get to the point," I demanded impatiently.

"She wants to take you shopping," Leo told me with a straight face.

What ever I was expecting him to say that was not it. "Shopping?" I squeaked.

"Shopping," he repeated.

"You told her 'no', right?"

"Well…"

"Leo!" I exclaimed.

"I tried," he defended.

"Clearly not hard enough!" I snapped.

A grin spread over Leo's face that clearly said "better you than me". I glared at his grin, which made him grin harder. "She'll be here in an hour," he told.

_An hour!_ I frowned and glared at my brother. "I'm going to kill you!"

Mikey then walked in the room. "Dude, why are you going to kill Leo?"

"April's taking him shopping!" Leo informed him happily.

Mikey laughed, "Tough luck, bro." Just then Raph happened to be passing by so Mikey called out to him. "Hey Raph, April's taking Donnie shopping!"

This news caused Raph to smirk. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Leo said. "I just got off the phone with her."

"Good one, Donnie," Raph barked.

I groaned and buried my face in my open palms. _There is no way my day could get worse_, I thought.

It did.

After April stopped by the lair an hour later to collect me we began the long trek through every clothing store we came across. After stopping in three different stores I decided that I officially hated shopping. And it was the same in every store; first you would find the clothing section that you where going to shop in, then you would rifle through all the clothes until you came across something you liked, after that you would search for that item in your size, lastly you would try on the outfit in the changing room to see if it was, and I will quote April, "you". If it isn't "you" then you go through the entire process again. By my count I have gone through this process with April twenty seven times and to show for it I had two shirts, one pair of shorts, and some jeans.

"Ewww," April drawled. "Take that off before I get fashion sickness and need to go to the shoe section to recover."

I sighed dramatically before reentering the dressing room to remove the yellow print t-shirt that April had taken off the rack not fifteen minutes ago exclaiming that I would look "perfect" in it. After removing the shirt from my person I placed it on its hanger. I then got my old one back on and exited the changing room.

"That's the last of them," I told April.

April deflated a little. "None of them looked to good on you," she said. After a second she perked back up and exclaimed, "You know what that means!"

I groaned. "Not another store please," I begged. "Take pity on me."

April hesitated. "I guess we could take a break."

"Yes," I cheered. "April you're the best!"

She smiled. "Are you up for something to eat?" she asked me.

My stomach grumbled in reply. I smiled sheepishly and said, "I think that answers that question."

"Alright," she laughed. "Let's go." Grabbing the shopping bags at her feet we maneuvered through the racks and tables of clothing that blocked our passage to the exit. Once outside April wove through the crowd with grace and experience while I trailed a few steps behind carefully trying to avoid people and inanimate objects that impeded me from my destination. I was not used to huge crowds seeing I couldn't really be in them while I was a turtle. I found them suffocating and uncomfortable.

When April and I finally broke free of the crowd I found myself entering central park. I gasped. The park was absolutely stunning. I had never been in the park during the day light or outside of the winter months when my brothers and I would bundle up beyond recognition and go sledding in the park. But this could not compare to the winter wonderland I usually experienced. This was ten times better. Sunlight bounced off the leaves of the trees making them shine and sparkle with the remnants of dew that remained from the misty morning. The green of the trees and the grass was plush and full. The shadows of the trees cast intricate patterns over the pathway that April and I were walking down. A slight breeze tickled my exposed flesh. The squeals of playing children reached my ears when we passed an open field. I slowed a little wanting to watch the children chase each other around on the grass. April, seeing me slow, directed us to an open bench where we could sit and watch the children.

After a few minutes a soccer ball flew across the path and landed at my feet. I picked it up with my pale hands and looked around for its owner. I then heard someone call out to me, "Hey kid!" I turned toward to voice and saw a fellow teenager waving at me. "Pass it here," he shouted. I stood up and drop kicked the ball. It arched beautifully and landed right at the feet of the teenager. He dent down and scooped the ball up. Tucking it under his arm he ran towards me with a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Hey," he greeted me. "A few of my friends and I were about to start a pick up game and we have an uneven number. I could really use a leg like yours on my team. Do you have time for a quick game?"

I glanced at April. She smiled and made a hand gesture encouraging me to go and play. I beamed and turned back to the teenager. "Why not?" I responded.

"Great!" he declared. "The name's Jake." He stuck out his hand for me to take.

"Don," I replied. Taking his out stretched hand in mine I shook it.

Hunger forgotten, I followed Jake out on the field to meet his friends: Nick, Dustin, Theo, Matthew, Will, and Brandon. I made the eighth in their party so the teams could be and even four on four. Will and Jake were chosen as team captains. After the teams were chosen – Will, Dustin, Matthew, and Brandon versus Jake, Theo, Nick, and me – the cones were set up and the game began.

The following hour I had the most fun I had had in a very long time. All of Jake's friends were good at soccer so each team was evenly matched, which made the game all the more interesting. Fifteen minutes into the game I had scored two goals and was leading my team to what looked like an easy victory but, to be fair, half way through the game I switched positions with Theo who was playing goalie. I also made a great goalie. My ninja reflexes helped me jump and dive for the most impossible shots. As my time as goalie I didn't let in one goal. The ending score was nine to five, we won. After picking up the cones I bid my new friends good-bye. They invited me to come again next week for a game; "Same place, same time," Jake told me. I thanked him and said I would try to make it again but made no promises. Calling out my final farewell I headed back to the bench that April was sitting on.

April greeted me with a water bottle that she must have bought off of a street vender. I took it greedily. "Thanks," I recognized.

"No problem," she responded. "I need you to be hydrated if we want to finish shopping today."

I groaned. "Do I have to?" I complained.

"Yes. Now lets get going, we are wasting sunlight."

Finishing off the water I followed April out of the park and down the street in search of a new clothing store in which I could be subject to more of April's fantasies of me being her human Barbie doll to dress up.

After two more hours, five different stores, and much money spent, April declared our shopping spree officially over. I now had seven new shirts - most of them purple -, two pairs of shorts, socks, boxers, pajamas, three pairs of pants, a hoodie, and some sneakers. In addition to clothing April found it necessary that she buy me hygiene products, such as shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, a brush, a razor and shaving cream, et cetera. "You need them," she insisted. And in short, I agreed. Now being human I needed to act and dress as one.

When we arrived back at the lair I found all three of my brother waiting for April and me to get back from shopping. "How'd it go?" Mikey asked, grinning.

"Oh it was wonderful," April told them. She then proceeded to tell them a detailed account of everywhere we went and what I got. I stopped paying attention and sluggishly made my way towards the couch. Shopping had taken a lot out of me. _How can women to that day in and day out?,_ I thought. I shook my head. It was a mystery to solve some other day. Right now I desperately needed to rest and relax my aching body. Placing myself gingerly onto the cushions I massaged my shoulder joints that had become stiff. I heard my brothers bid April good-bye and collect the many shopping bags that she held in her arms; she held them because my injuries began to aggravate me soon after the soccer game in the park. I heard the hiss of the elevator closing and footsteps approached my seated position.

The couch sagged when Mikey sat himself down next to me. Running my hands through my hair I stated, "I hate shopping."

"Oh, come on. It couldn't have been that bad," Leo declared taking a seat in the recliner closer to the TV.

"It was, Leo. It was."

"I want to see what you bought," Mikey exclaimed rooting through the now discarded shopping bags at my feet.

"No! Not that bag," I cried out.

_Too late_. Mikey grabbed the bag with all my undergarments and sleepwear. Knowing what they would find I groaned and buried my face in open palms.

"Uhhh, Donny, do you need to tell us something?" Mikey laughed. In his hand he held up a pair of bright purple boxers that had a graphic of a white handprint in the groin area.

"Shut up!" I grabbed the boxers out of his hand and placed them back in the bag. Then I said through gritted teeth, "April thought they were cute!"

Mikey and Leo burst out laughing. I glared at them and gathered the bags in my arms and said, "Now if you excuse me, I have something better to do that doesn't involve you!"

Stomping out of the room I proceeded to walk to mine. Entering my room I slammed the door behind me. I was angry with my brothers, _no not angry, I was livid! It was embarrassing enough that they made fun of me for going shopping but they have no respect. Do they think so little of me?_ I thought.

_Of course not_, I reprimanded myself, _they are just being the same annoying brothers I have always had._

I discarded the shopping bags onto my bed and dug through them to find an outfit to change into. I decided on my purple boxers, jeans, and a purple t-shirt. Setting my desired clothes to the side I began to strip. Once naked I stuffed all of Casey's old clothing into an empty shopping bag with the intention of throwing them in the nearest trashcan. How anyone could wear such disgusting, menial gym clothes day in and day out stumped me. I reached for my boxers when I caught sight of my reflection in the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. I was just as I remember the first day I gazed on my new form. Granted my light brown hair was a little longer and bandages and pink scars littered my once perfect body, I was the same.

Tears began to blur my vision. I never wanted this. I never wanted to be human. My life has been forever altered. This form tormented me and caused me to have serious agonizing physical or mental pain. Tears spilled over the brims of my eyes and more threatened to burst forth. I didn't want to do this; I just wanted to change back and for everything to be normal again.

A fist pounding on my door jolted me from my thoughts. Distracted, I broke eyes contact with myself in the mirror. "Yeah?" I questioned, voice cracking slightly.

Leo's voice drifted through the door, "Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. Are you going to join us, Don?"

"Sure."

"Okay, great," he responded. I then heard his footsteps retreating back down the hall.

I released the breath I had been holding. I was so glad Leo hadn't accidentally entered my room. I would have no possible explanation why I was crying in my room naked. I almost laughed at the absurdity of that realization.

Almost.

I roughly wiped my tears away and began to dress. I avoided looking into the mirror; I knew once I did I would be once again drawn towards anguish. Once fully dressed I pulled on my socks and sneakers. After tying the laces I glanced up and met the gaze of my manifestation. My face seemed gaunter and my eyes were red from crying. I sniffled and wiped my eyes once again with the sleeve of my shirt. Extreme sorrow gripped me. I ripped my eyes away from the figure in front of me. I grabbed a sheet off my bed and threw it over the mirror and turned away. Taking on last look over my shoulder at the mirror I exited my room to go to dinner with my brothers.

I strode into the kitchen as if all way right in the world. My inner turmoil twisted violently in the pit of my stomach but I buried it deeper and smiled at my brothers who were seated at the kitchen table already.

"Nice clothes," Mikey snickered.

I frowned and looked down at what I was wearing. My outfit looked all right to me.

"Don't listen to him," said Leo. "You look fine."

"Enough talk," growled Raph. "I'm hungry."

No one could argue with Raphael's blunt, rude proclamation.

Mikey had made spaghetti and meatballs. We ate in relative silence. My gut coiled and bent when I caught my reflection on the metallic pasta pot. I swallowed the spaghetti that was already in my mouth and set down my fork. I felt queasy and light headed. My mirror image paled and covered its mouth with a hand.

"Donnie? Are ya okay?" I heard Raphael ask.

I gulped and force myself to look at my brother. He had stopped eating and was looking at me weird. "Are ya okay?" he repeated concerned.

"I d-don't feel to good," I told him truthfully. "I think I'm going to lie down." I hastily stood up, exited the kitchen, and made a b-line for my room. My hands trembled as they opened the door. _What is wrong with me?_ I shook my head. _I just need to lie down_, I thought. _Tomorrow I will feel better and maybe I can look at the documents that I took when I escaped from my captivity_.

I changed into my pajamas and slipped under my covers. _Tomorrow_, I promised myself. _Tomorrow I will start to look for a way to change myself back_. I sighed, content, for the moment, with the promise I had made myself. Sinking further into the comfort of my bed my exhaustion enveloped me and I fell asleep.


	14. Threats and Hugs

_Italics_ - Don's Thoughts

**Bold **- Flashbacks

**Chapter 14 (Threats and Hugs)**

The next morning I woke a few minutes before nine o'clock. I felt rested and ready for the great deal of work ahead of me. I got out of bed and changed into a different outfit from yesterday. Once decent I left my room, visited the bathroom and made my way to the kitchen to get something to eat. The kitchen was empty when I entered, a stroke of luck on my part. I didn't want to face my brothers right now, especially after how I acted last night at the dinner table.

I approached the coffee machine and found coffee already made for me. _Raph_, I thought. He was the only other turtle that drink as much coffee as I did. Leo, of course, stuck to tea drinking with Master Splinter and Mikey was officially banned from all caffeinated drinks due to his energetic nature. I grabbed a mug from the cupboard and filed it to the brim with coffee. I breathed in the sweet smell of coffee. _Oh how I missed you!_ I sighed, content. I had missed coffee so much, it has been about a month since the last time I had my favorite beverage. I noticed a half eaten box of donuts sitting on the counter; one was left. _Score!_

I seated myself at the kitchen table and munched on my donut and sipped my coffee. I finished quickly and went for a refill of coffee before I started my day's work. On my way back to my room I passed the dojo. I paused outside the closed door when the sounds of morning practice reached my ears. I knew that soon my brothers would be exiting the dojo and fighting on who would get the shower first. I knew that Raphael would win against Michelangelo and that Leo would stay in the dojo for at least another hour on top of practice meditating. My family is too predictable.

I headed for my lab first with the intention of retrieving my backpack full of documents that David gave me. Upon entering my lab I found it exactly as I left it. The toaster destroyed still sat upon my desk. I noticed that my backpack was sitting next to the unfixed kitchen appliance. I opened the pack to see if anything has been removed. All the food, first-aid kit, and other supplies were no longer in the bag. All these items have probably found new homes in the lair. But all the documents about my transformation and testing were still in the pack. My equations and drawings also remained in the bag. Zippering the backpack closed I threw it over my shoulder and exited the lab.

On my way back to my room to buckle down to do some work I has to pass the dojo. The doors were now open and I could clearly hear an argument between Raphael and Michelangelo.

"But you got the shower first last time!" Mikey whined.

"Too bad!"

I smiled and shook my head. _Typical_, I thought. I moved fast passed the dojo to get to my room before I would be in the middle of a warpath with an angry Raphael. I hopped two stairs at a time and barely made it to my room before I heard yelling and the high-pitched screams of my younger brother.

I lowered my coffee mug on to my desk and began to clear a space for my to work. Fifteen minutes later I had a decent area on my desk cleared of any older project. I placed the backpack on the desk and opened it. I first removed all the drawings and random equations and stacked them neatly on my desk. Once they were out of the way I then removed all the deleted documents and began to organize them. Documents about my brothers and I were placed in a pile on the right, documents concerning my secondary mutation in the middle, and documents regarding the tests preformed on my new human body on the left. After an hour of scanning documents and placing them into their designated piles I relaxed and leaned back in my chair looking triumphantly at my three neat stacks of information.

Sighing I reached for the pile of documents on the right and began to read them in detail. The first few pages were on general mutation theory and how it could be applied to explain the phenomena of my family's mutation. I disregarded these pages because they were useless to me and I already knew all about my own mutation. I had heard Splinter tell the story of our creation more than enough times.

The next few pages were interesting. These were on the first sightings of my brothers and I topside. Some were eyewitness accounts of "strange creatures" and "aliens" being spotted on New York City rooftops. Others were pictures of blurry images, supposedly of us, but that looked like pigeons that flew in front of a camera.

After reading these pages I placed them with the others that I had already read. Finally I reached the last twelve pages or so. These were on my family. Information about each of my family members filled up the pages in front of me.

The first page was about Master Splinter. Luckily the information was incomplete and very general. It seemed Bishop knew very little about Splinter, other than the fact that he was a humanoid rat and was a very skilled fighter.

The next two pages were about Leonardo. A general description filled the first full page, which included fighting style, characteristic traits, and a physical description. The second page was a threat assessment. Bishop noted in the files that Leonardo was extremely skilled, the oldest, and the leader. However, this only entitled Leo to be "manageable threat" and placed in the category of "Moderate".

_Manageable! Wait until I show this to Leo. He will flip_.

The next page was on Michelangelo. This single page indicated to me that Bishop knew very little about the youngest turtle. Half the page was a physical description and notes on fighting style. The second half was a similar to Leo's threat assessment. This described Mikey as "easily distracted" though very skilled. Therefore, Mikey was classified as a "Nescience".

I laughed.

After setting this page aside, I turned my attention on the three pages devoted to Raphael. The first page was similar to Leo's; including descriptions and fighting style. The second page interested me. It was on Raph's behavioral patterns. It described the commonality and statistical percentages of when and where Raph goes when he is topside. It notes that he is alone when he goes topside except when he is with Casey doing vigilante work. The accuracy of these percentages scared me. There was also some information on Casey at the bottom of the page. The final page was another threat assessment. This one described Raph as "unpredictable" and "easily angered". He was placed in the category of "Dangerous".

_Raph would like that_, I thought. _He's more dangerous than Leo._

Worry and anxiety gripped me when I realized that all of my family had been mentioned except me. True to my worry the final five pages were on me. The first page was the same as all the others. The second and third pages were behavioral patterns, similar to the documentations made on Raph. These depicted my visits to the junkyard, which one I visited the most, around what time of day or night I went, and whether if I was alone or accompanied. It was also documented that I frequently visited April. At the bottom of the third page there was an entire section devoted to April. I finally looked at the last two pages: the threat assessment. Before looking at it I took a couple of deep breaths and tried to loosen the knot that had formed in my stomach over that few minutes. My assessment was long and detailed. It described my observed relationship with my brothers and even included an approximated IQ reading that was scarily close to a reading I had gotten when I, out of curiosity, had taken an IQ test online. Everything Bishop had told me when I was with him was somewhere on these two pages. I eventually reached my threat level. I had to read it twice before I could even comprehend it. It read, "Extremely Dangerous: Avoid At All Costs".

After a minute I overcame my shock. I wanted to scream at Bishop. I wanted to rip apart his silly documents, and I almost did before I contained myself. I instead placed my pages into the locked drawer on my desk were I kept personal items, very important invention ideas, the little money I had, and expensive tools that could not be broken because thy were irreplaceable.

I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. It was lunchtime. I didn't want to leave my room but Leo would notice if I didn't come out and eat. I was also due for a refill, I had finished my last mug of coffee at least three hours ago. Knowing I had to leave my room at some point for food and coffee I climbed out of my chair and exited my room. On my way to the kitchen I ran into Mikey.

He smiled at me and said, "What's up, Donnie?"

"The overhead interior surface that covers the upper limit of a room," I responded sarcastically. My answer earned an eye roll.

"What were you doing in your room? Resting?" Mikey inquired.

I shrugged my shoulders; "I was just reading some documents that were in my backpack when I escaped. I hope to discover what Bishop did to me so I can reverse it."

We entered the kitchen and Mikey began to make himself a sandwich. He offered to make me one, I accepted. After a few minutes we were both seated at the table eating.

Mikey suddenly stopped eating and looked at me intently. I also stopped eating and asked, "What?"

"Why?" Mikey rebutted.

"Why what?" I questioned, now confused.

"Why do you want to change back?"

"Because this," I gestured to my human body, "is not normal."

He laughed. "Being human is normal, Don."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes. But I meant not normal for us."

"Since when is anything normal for us?"

_He has a point. Our lives have been far from any possible definition of normal_. I huffed. "I just want to be a turtle again."

"Why?" Mikey repeated his original question.

I paused. I didn't know why, I just knew I wanted to change back. Mikey sensed my internal dilemma so he continued to talk; "I mean, you can go outside now. Be 'normal'," he mad air quotes with two of his green fingers. "You can live the life we never could have being turtles. The possibilities are endless!"

I wanted to believe Mikey but I couldn't. _I'm dangerous. Think of how dangerous I could be as a human._ My brain and heart became conflicted. My brain told me to change myself back but my heart told me to listen to Mikey.

Conflicted, I stared at Mikey. He stared back. Our food was forgotten. I was debating whether to tell Mikey my hesitation at remaining human but the noise of someone entering the room stopped me.

"Umm, are you guys okay?" Leo asked from the doorway.

"Yeah," I responded, breaking eye contact. I stood up and pushed my plate of half-eaten sandwich away from my person. "I'm not hungry anymore," I mumbled. Slowly I slipped passed Leo, who still stood in the doorway, and exited the kitchen.

Half way down the hall I heard Leo say to Mikey, "What did you say to him?"

I moved faster down the hallway so I didn't have to hear Mikey's response. I still had two more piles of documents waiting for me in my room that I wanted to sort through. I seated myself once again at my desk and stretched before diving down into the second stack of files, the ones about my secondary genetic mutation. It was dry material to say the least. The first page said, "Secondary mutation is a phenomenon that - when the DNA in any cell is be altered through environmental exposure to certain chemicals, ultraviolet radiation, other genetic insults, or even errors that occur during the process of replication - among mutants seems inexplicable. Scientists hypothesize that, since the mutant population was entering the millions at that time, mutant physiology is responding to the need for survival."

"While a mutation is defined as any alteration in the DNA sequence, biologists use the term "single nucleotide polymorphism" (SNP) to refer to a single base pair alteration that is common in the population. Specifically, a polymorphism is any genetic location at which at least two different sequences are found, with each sequence present in at least 1% of the population. The cutoff of at least 1% prevalence for a variation to be classified as a polymorphism is somewhat arbitrary; if the frequency is lower than this, the allele is typically regarded as a mutation."

"Changes in the DNA sequence can also occur at the level of the chromosome, in which large segments of chromosomes are altered. Fragments of chromosomes can be deleted, duplicated, inverted, translocated to different chromosomes, or otherwise rearranged, resulting in changes such as modification of gene dosage, the complete absence of genes, or the alteration of gene sequence. The type of variation that occurs when entire areas of chromosomes are duplicated or lost has especially important implications for human disease and evolution."

This information was useless to my and my quest of trying to reverse my transformation and return to my normal terrapin form. Any first year biology student knew this knowledge about the basis of genetic mutations in humans. I set down this first page and looked at the hundred or more left. _This is going to take the rest of the day_, I thought. I picked up the next page and began to read. My eyes met more basic biological information about gene mutation. I ran my hand through my hair. _Make that the rest of the year_.

Three hours later I had barely made a dent in the pile of papers. My eyes were growing tired and I decided to stop. I hadn't found anything useful. Almost everything I read was theories and hypotheses that, when I thought they could be possibly helpful, were disproved a few paragraphs or pages later. The note pad I had started to take notes on was a giant black blob of ink. Everything I had written was eventually crossed out. I ripped the paper off the pad, crumpled it up, and threw it at my trashcan. I was too tired to even celebrate when it landed perfectly in the bin.

I was frustrated; I had wasted a day on nothing. I spun in my swivel chair so my back was to the desk. Scanning my messy room my eyes caught sight of my covered mirror. My frustration gave way to anger: anger at Bishop for changing me and destroying my relatively normal life; anger at myself for allowing myself to be so careless to be captured and not fighting hard enough to escape once captured.

I stood and moved toward the mirror. I grabbed the corner of the sheet and with a yank permitted the fabric to slide off the frame and fall to the ground at my feet. Green and gold-flecked eyes met my gaze. I stared at the eyes. I searched in their depths for the answer to my problems, trying to find the grain of truth that I had been denying myself to believe: that there is no cure. I stared intently at those eyes. I was sucked in by their strength and power. I got lost in them. So lost I didn't hear my bedroom door open.

"What cha lookin' at?"

I jumped, startled. I gyrated towards the door and found Raphael occupying it. My shoulders slumped in relief that it wasn't Leo. "What do you want Raph?" I asked, puzzled by his appearance. This was the first time I was alone and having a decent "conversation" which him since that first afternoon in the kitchen.

He shrugged. "Just checkin' on ya."

"I thought you were avoiding me."

He frowned at this. "Naw, ya'd know if I was avoidin' ya."

I turned back to the mirror and looked once more into my eyes. Fear seized my heart and anguish twisted my gut. My eyes began to shine with the water and salt of newly formed tears. I pivoted back to face my brother and told him truthfully, "I'm scared."

Raph's frown was quickly replaced with a look of worry. He gracefully glided into my door and snapped the door shut behind him. Moving with the same grace he maneuvered among the mess of my room to reach me. Now standing before me he said, "What cha afraid of?"

I shook my head and moved to sit on my bed. _How could he understand?_ I thought. _I barely understand it myself._ But I tried, "I'm scared I'm going to be stuck like this." I gestured at my body.

"You'll think of somethin'," he assured me. "Yer a smart turtle…"

At this statement I wailed and more tears began to fall. Raph winced but walked towards me anyway. "Now ya know that's not what I meant." The bed creaked and sank under his added weight.

"B-but-"

"No 'buts'," Raph scolded me. "I know yer scared, hell I'm scared fer ya..."

I cried harder.

"But," he growled. "Ta fear is one thing. Ta let fear grab ya an' shake ya all up is another. Fear has a large shadow, but he 'imself is small."

I hiccupped. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that ya block all chances of success if ya allow yer fear ta grow bigger than yer faith. I know ya an' I have faith in ya, Donnie. Just have some faith in yerself." He then wrapped his arm around my frail, trembling shoulders and gave a good squeeze – a sort of 'Raph hug' if you will.

We then sat there, on my bed, until my tears subsided. _This_, I realized, _is one of those times that Raph shows me his true side. A wise, caring turtle emerges its rough exterior and offers me a pearl of wisdom, and I, gracious, take it and cherish it_.

"Thanks Raph."

"No problem, lil' bro."


	15. The Fourth Day

_Italics _- Don's thoughts

**Bold **- Flashbacks

**Chapter 15 (The Fourth Day)**

Four days had gone by since I had openly cried in front of Raphael.

Four days trying to figure out possible ways to change me back to my original terrapin from.

Four days passed with me locking myself in my room.

Four days and I had read all of Bishop's documents on the subject of secondary mutations.

Four days wasted on nothing.

I was frustrated, aggravated, irritated, and annoyed. But above all I was discouraged.

I was becoming anxious about finding a cure. I never suffered from extreme anxiety before but I knew the symptoms: excessive worry and tension, an unrealistic view of problems, restlessness, irritability, muscle tension, headaches, sweating, difficulty concentrating, nausea, tiredness, trouble falling or staying asleep, and being easily startled.

At dinner on the fourth night I sat, as was the ritual, at the kitchen table for dinner with the family. The chicken meal in front of me was half eaten and my fork began to lazily move the mashed potatoes around my plate. I glanced up and saw Mikey making a volcano out of his potatoes, after which he filled with gravy to reenact an eruption. Leo was cutting his chicken with exact precision while discussing tomorrow's training lesson with Master Splinter. And Raph, as usual, ate in relative silence. Every few minutes or so I caught him looking at me, as if checking to see I wouldn't have an emotional breakdown during dinner. I looked back down at my plate and began to mix the peas with my potatoes.

I was so engrossed with the half-eaten meal in front of me I didn't hear Master Splinter asking me a question.

"-ello?"

_Huh?_

"Donatello?" I heard Splinter ask.

I looked up from my destroyed food. "Yeah?"

"I asked you if you would like to participate in tomorrow's training session. That is you feel you are healed enough to join us."

"Uhhh…"

But Raph interrupted me before I could get out an answer. "Actually April called an' wanted ta borrow Donnie fer the day. Sorry I forgot ta mention it ta ya, Don." He said, turning to address me.

I nodded; I was used to being the last to know things.

Splinter frowned slightly and questioned Raph; "Did Miss O'Neil tell why she required Donatello tomorrow? "

Raphael shook his head. "No."

"Very well. Donatello, if you wish to accompany Miss O'Neil tomorrow then you may. But the following day I do wish to see you at practice."

"Yes, Master," I replied.

After the dishes had been cleared from the table I trudged towards my room but Raphael intercepted me. "Don't ya even think 'bout it," he told me. "Ya ain't goin' back in there ta become depressed about some cure."

"But-"

"No 'buts'. Yer gonna help me fix the Shellcycle," Raph declared. He directed me towards the elevator. With the whirr of gears we were hauled up to the surface and the garage. Exiting the elevator a blast of cool night air hit me. Shivering slightly I zippered up the hoodie I was wearing to block out the breeze. Raph seemed to not notice the sudden change in temperature; he just crossed the garage towards his beloved bike.

Plunging my hands into the deep pockets of my sweater I shuffled towards the motorcycle. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Her brakes ain't workin' right," was Raph's muffled reply as he bent behind his bike – that he insisted to call 'his girl' – and removed the caliper in order to access the brake line in the back wheel. Twirling a screwdriver between his fingers Raph began to inspect the brake line.

"Are you sure that nothing is loose in the brake lever?"

"Naw. I checked."

Puzzled, I picked up another screwdriver and started on the front wheel.

An hour later we had found nothing. After agreeing to take a break – no pun intended – we reclined against the bumper of the Battleshell to gaze critically upon the motorcycle.

Out of the blue Raph turned to me and asked, "Why do ya think that April needs ya tomorrow?"

I shrugged. "We better not go shopping! I don't think I could take another day of that."

"Was it really that bad?"

I shivered, but not because of the cold.

Silence.

Another random question departed Raph lips. "What was it like bein' out n' 'bout with humans?"

I paused, startled by the question. "I felt normal," I told him truthfully. "I felt human."

"Ya are human, Donnie."

"Sure I was physically but…" I trailed off. I didn't know how to put it into words. "Before I didn't feel human. What I mean is that…" I struggled with an explanation, anything to tell Raph. Nothing came.

More silence.

This time I broke it with a question for my older brother. "Do you wish you were human?"

"I once did. Everyday," he sifted to look at me properly. "But now I ain't so sure. Can it really be so bad that yer obsessed with changin' back?"

"I didn't ask for this, Raph. Hell, I never wanted this."

"But ya can use it. Go ta school and get a degree. Get a family. Live life." He stared at me more intensely, as if daring me to do it. My eyes tore away from his gaze and settled on the Shellcycle. Looking at it more closely I noticed something behind the brake pedal, something that shouldn't be there. I strode across the garage to the bike.

"Hey," Raph barked. "What ya doin'?"

I knelt in front of the bike and slipped my hand underneath the pedal. My hand probed for the foreign object. I grabbed at the wet, soggy item and withdrew with a cigarette in my hand. I smirked and handed it to Raph who had come up behind me. "Nothing was wrong with your brakes. This," I said, referring to the cigarette. "Must have gotten stuck in the brake pedal and didn't allow it to fully compress the brake pad and allow your bike to come to a complete stop."

Conversation forgotten, Raph grinned. "I knew ya could help me find the problem."

I chuckled. "Come on. Let's put this thing back together."

His grin turned to a frown. "_SHE_ ain't a thing!"


	16. Encounters of the Worst Kind

_Italics_ - Don's thoughts

**Bold **- Flashbacks

**Chapter 16 (Encounters of the Worst Kind)**

Early the next morning I woke, showered, and dressed myself for the day ahead. I was looking forward to getting out of the lair and visiting April. Exiting my room I almost ran right into a very moody Raphael. Everyone knew that Raph wasn't a morning person, especially before he had some sort of food or caffeine in his body. Raph didn't seem to notice me so I quietly followed his shuffling form. I didn't want to risk startling him. I knew from experience that that could have disastrous effects of my physical being.

We entered the kitchen. Raph made a b-line for the coffee machine and began to brew a pot. I slipped into a chair at the table and silently waited for the coffee to be made. Raph turned and noticed me, he grunted something that might have been 'good morning' but could have easily been interpreted as 'ground worm'.

Seven minutes and fifty-three seconds later – not that I was counting – the coffee finished brewing and I filled two mugs to the brim with steaming brown liquid. I handed Raph his respective cup and we both settled into our caffeinated beverages. I was almost done with my first cup of coffee when Michelangelo came bouncing into the room.

"Morning," he greeted us cheerfully. Mikey then noisily rummaged around the kitchen before retrieving a bowl and cereal for breakfast. Plopping down at the table he filled up his bowl with Fruit Loops and drowned them in milk. He then proceeded to shovel food into his mouth at an exponential rate. And, with a full mouth, said to me, "Hey, Donnie, w-"

"Don't," I said cutting him off. "Don't even start. At least not until I have finished my coffee."

Mikey eyed my nearly empty mug. I held up my hand to stop his thinking in its tracks and specified, "No, not this cup. I meant the pot."

Mikey swiveled to stare at the full pot of coffee sitting on the counter behind him. His shoulders sagged. Raph, finding this confrontation humorous, chuckled darkly from across the table. I turned to glare at him and pointed, "That goes for you too!"

Glorious silence met my ears… until Leonardo entered to kitchen.

"Good morning everyone!"

Resisting the urge to chuck my mug at Leo's baldhead I simply downed the remainder of my coffee. I grimaced as the hot liquid ran down my throat and slightly burned my tongue. I then stood, moved to the counter, refilled my cup, and strode out of the kitchen. I made my way to the den where I carefully balanced my full cup of coffee as I lowered myself onto the couch.

My ears once again welcomed silence…until a shrill sound of a shell cell echoed through the lair.

I groaned. _Couldn't I just have a few moments of silence? Is that too hard to ask?_

The ringing stopped when someone answered the device. I few seconds later Leo poked his head out of the kitchen and called out to me; "Hey, Donnie?"

"Yeah?" I responded.

"April wants to know if it's okay for you to meet her at her apartment. She said she's to busy to swing by and get you."

"Yeah, that's fine!"

Leo's head bobbed up and down on an invisible neck and disappeared back into the kitchen. I finished my second cup of coffee and headed for the elevator to get to the surface. With a swish, the doors opened and I rode up to the garage. I navigated through the disorder on the floor to the door on the far side of the structure. I gripped the handle and let myself out into the sunlit sidewalk.

The city was already bustling with foot traffic, even in the 'not so nice' neighborhood that our garage was located in. I shut the door behind me and merged into the pedestrians walking about their daily lives.

April's apartment was about a seven-minute run from the garage. But since I was walking and not running, I estimated that it would take about twenty minutes to arrive at my destination – granted I was not detained for any reason.

At the first corner I came to, I turned right. I moved in time with the bustle of the city around me - the natural rhythm of New York that was always present, even at night. People moved around me with out giving me a second glance. I fit in perfectly with my surroundings. No one would take particular notice to a brown haired teen in jeans and a t-shirt. _This is what I was talking about with Raph last night_, I thought. _Feeling normal_.

Distracted with my own thoughts, and not used to being surrounded with foot traffic, I collided with someone who was heading in the opposite direction. I half turned to look at the person I hit. A tall, muscled, green-haired, heavily tattooed thug met my gaze. One tattoo stood out against the rest on the guy's pale skin – it was a Purple Dragon! The Dragon glared back and growled, "Watch where yer goin', asshole!"

I mumbled a sorry and turned to continue on my way. Luckily the Dragon seemed to be in a hurry so he didn't detain me any longer than a few seconds.

Fifteen minutes later I was knocking on the entrance of April's apartment. Casey answered the door. "Hey, Casey. What's up?"

"Do I know you?" he asked, visibly befuddled.

His response also confused me until I remembered that he hadn't seen me as a human yet, so I decided to help him out: "Casey, it's me Don."

Casey's eyes widened as big as saucers and his mouth hung open for a few seconds. Collecting himself, Casey then grinned. "Donny-boy! Lookin' good!" he said, eyeing me up and down. "I heard you were human but someone failed to tell me you were a lady killer!"

I blushed at these words. It never crossed my mind that my human form could be considered attractive. Casey's grin grew when he saw me blush. "Come on in," he beckoned, opening the door wider to let me in. "Hey Ape!" Casey called over his shoulder. "Donnie's here!"

April proceeded to appear from the kitchen. She smiled and gave me a generous hug before holding me out at arms length. "You look much better in decent clothing," she said. "A real young man."

Casey barked a laugh as I blushed again. April ruffled my hair affectionately and declared sincerely, "I mean it." I blushed even deeper.

I followed April and Casey into the kitchen. They had apparently been eating a late breakfast when I arrived. I accepted some coffee when April offered and proceeded to sip it as I watched the couple in front of me finish their morning meal. Once they had finished I politely asked April why she had invited me over for the day. She responded, "Well, I heard that you were locking yourself into your room for hours on end. Your brothers were concerned, even if they didn't say so aloud. When I found out I asked if I could 'borrow' you for the day so you could get out of the lair and get some fresh air. Also it has been a week since we went clothes shopping and you played soccer with that nice boy…what's his name?"

"Jake," I supplied.

"Yes, him. And as I recall he invited you last week to meet the following week – today – at the same time for another game. I thought it would be nice for you to go and play with Jake and his friends. You seemed to enjoy yourself last time."

I nodded.

"Great!" she exclaimed. "I was thinking we could go grab a bite to eat before we went to the park but until then what would you like to do?"

"I don't know. I've never really thought bout it," I answered honestly. "I've always wanted to go to the top of the Empire State Building…or maybe we could go to a museum?"

"Great idea!" April all but squealed. "It's been years since I've gone to the Empire State Building. We will have so much fun!"

True to her word we did have fun. After April cleaned up the kitchen we bid good-bye to Casey, who claimed he had things to do and people to see, and left for the Empire State Building. April and I walked two blocks to get to a subway entrance so we could head to central Manhattan. I had never been on the subway. I occasionally heard stories from April and Casey about the "interesting people" you would see riding the subway - those stories always got a good laugh from Mikey and me. We boarded the underground train and sat down in the first two available seats. I soon spotted some of those "interesting people" I was told to look for. They entered a stop after us and placed themselves across the aisle about four seats to our left. The party of five people were dressed as various superheroes: Spiderman, Captain America, Batman, Wolverine, and the Human Torch. _If only Mikey was here he would be all over them asking questions_, I thought, then paused. _I wonder where they could be going?_

Twenty five minutes later April and I got off our subway and climbed the stairs to the surface. Once on the street I lifted my gaze so I could spot the Empire State Building. It quickly caught my eye. The Building in question was only two blocks away but it still towered over all the other buildings in its vicinity. After five minutes of walking we reached the base of the Empire State Building. There we saw a line of tourists waiting to enter the building. April grabbed my hand so we wouldn't get separate in the throng of people and joined at the end of the line. The staff at the Empire State Building must be very efficient because we entered the building after a rather short wait in the line. We followed the people in front of us and entered the lobby. I got to look at the legendary art deco of the Empire State Building that is on the wall above the front desk before we rode up some escalators to the second floor and waited in another series of lines. Here we had to pass through security and pay the guest fee for the ride to the top of the building. I was nervous to pass through security but it wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be. Once through we walked through a maze of hallways to an elevator. This took us up to the eighty-sixth floor, the first of two observation decks. The second observation deck was located on the one hundred and second floor but it was an extra fee to go up there. April said the first deck was just like the second and you could get the same experience even through you were a few floors lower.

Finally, after about an hour of wading through lines, we reached the top of the building. I rushed out to the sides of the observation deck to see the view. It took my breath away. I felt like I was on the top of the world. I looked down and saw little specks moving below. "Wow," I awed.

"Isn't it pretty?" April asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. Then, in my excitement, I pointed out all the sites I could see. "Look there's Times Square and over there is the Rockefeller Center. Oh, there's Central Park…" I continued to ramble. April looked on smiling, amused by my enthusiasm.

We stayed at the observation deck for a little over a half hour. Then, slowly, we made the tedious journey to the bottom of the building. Upon exiting the Empire State Building at ground level we got back on the subway and headed northeast. After about a fifteen-minute ride we reached our second destination: the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Luckily the Metropolitan Museum of Art is located across the street from the center of Central Park, so even if we lost track of time in the museum – which was likely – we could just cross the street and catch up with Jake and his friends for a game of soccer with no problem.

Outside the museum April and I gazed upon a giant banner proclaiming the feature exhibit presently. The exhibit was titled "Five Thousand Years of Japanese Art". Exited, we entered the museum and, five minutes later, entered the featured exhibit. I quickly found a plaque that explained, "In 1975, the Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired more than four hundred works of Japanese art from collector Harry G. C. Packard (1914–1991), by gift and purchase. The acquisition instantly transformed the Museum into an institution boasting one of the finest collections of its kind in the West, with encyclopedic holdings from the Neolithic period through the nineteenth century".

It continued, "This exhibition celebrates the thirty-fifth anniversary of the acquisition of the Packard Collection, showcasing its particular strengths in archaeological artifacts, Buddhist iconographic scrolls, ceramics, screen paintings of the Momoyama and Edo periods (sixteenth through nineteenth centuries), and sculptures of the Heian and Kamakura periods (ninth through fourteenth centuries). A highlight of the exhibition is a pairing of masterpieces by a Kano school master and his son: _Old Plum_, a set of sliding-door panels by Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) in the Packard Collection; and _One Hundred Boys_, a pair of six-fold screens by Kano Ein (1631–1697), which was just acquired in 2009".

For the following three hours April and I examined the hundreds of pieces of Japanese artwork. There were dozens of screen painting, many wooden figures of Buddha and soldiers, traditional grab, scrolls, vases, swords, and other weapons. One particular weapon caught my eye: a bo. It was a simple bo, similar to mine, except for the fact the one in the display case before me was snapped in half. The plaque beneath it read, "This bo (a large staff, about 2 meters long, used as a self defense weapon) was said to have been used by a Japanese General who was captured by his enemies and thrown into prison. According to legend, that night the warrior was unable to sleep because he feared that the next day he would be interrogated, tortured, and executed. Desperate to escape the warrior created a bo out of his meager surroundings. When the time arose the warrior cowardly attacked his enemies but, because fear and anxiety drove him, the bo shattered and the warrior was killed. The moral of the legend was that one should display honor and gracious conduct towards one's enemies".

_Gee, that's depressing_, I thought.

I soon grew hungry and, upon telling April, we left the Metropolitan Museum of Art to find a place to eat before meeting with Jake. After walking a block, in the direction of the open fields in central park, we chanced upon a snug café. "Is here good?" April asked me.

"Sure," I responded.

We quickly found an empty table near the windows and order lunch. I got a Ham and Swiss Sandwich sandwich with the works while April ordered a Caesar Salad Wrap. Both of us sipped our waters while waiting for our meals to come. Soon we were people watching out the windows and making stories for the people that passed. This kept our hunger abated until our lunches arrived.

I quickly ate, raring to go and see my new friends. April ate slower than I and, when she was done, paid the bill. We left the café and entered the busy sidewalk. April could clearly see my excitement because she commented, "Excited?"

I nodded eagerly.

"Okay," she laughed. "I will just watch from over here I guess." She pointed to the bench on which we sat last week. "Have fun!"

I smiled and turned to the field in front of me. After a minute of searching I spotted Jake and his posse. A moment later he saw me and waved. "I almost thought you wouldn't make it, man," he called as I trotted up to the group.

"I almost didn't," I told him truthfully. Then I greeted the rest of the group – Nick, Dustin, Theo, Matthew, Will, and Brandon – with a "What's up?"

After greetings were passed around and fists were bumped, we began to argue about teams.

"We should have the same teams as last time," Theo said.

Brandon shook his head. "Naw, you're just saying that because you have Don on your team and won."

Theo shrugged his shoulders but didn't repute the comment.

"As long as I get Don again," Nick playfully chided. "I can die a happy man!"

Dustin then casually slung his arm around my shoulders and said, "Nick, quit fooling yourself. My man Don here, wants to be on my team."

I began to blush and feel uncomfortable with all the attention and praise. Jake noticed and said, "Maybe we should have Don be a captain and pick the teams so people won't have to fight over who gets Don. I'll be the other captain," he volunteered.

I nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Then, one by one, the other boys agreed to this proposition. So Jake and I began to pick out teams. I ended up with Will, Theo, and Matthew. Jake selected the other three: Nick, Brandon, and Dustin. And, with even teams of four on four, we set up the cones and began our game of soccer.

An hour and a half later we ended our second game – with one game going to each team. We said our good-byes and each departed on their own way. I made my way back to the bench on which I had left April when I noticed it was empty. Puzzled, I sat down. _Maybe she just left to go to the bathroom or get me a drink like last time_, I thought. I decided to wait on the bench until she got back

A few minutes later I spotted April approaching me a little ways down the path. I stood and made my way to greet her. She didn't seem to notice me so I called out to her, "April!" The red haired woman ignored me for some reason, so I said her name again and tugged on her sleeve. "April?"

The woman jerked up from what she was reading in her hands and, for the first time, I caught a good look at her face. This woman wasn't April! It was the female doctor that resembled my lady friend. My heart sped up to an unhealthy pace and I gasped at the woman before me. Then, quickly containing my reaction, I slightly stammered, "S-sorry, Miss. I-I thought you were someone I knew."

The red head before me smiled sweetly and responded, "No problem, young man. Happens to me all the time."

I nodded, as if I could relate, and quickly escaped the situation. Walking away from her I glanced back. I saw that she returned to her reading and followed to path in the way she was originally walking.

Nothing super suspicious. _Maybe she didn't recognize me?_, I thought. The thought was probable enough but the knot in my gut told me that she did. I tried to distance myself from the cruel woman by continuing to walk in the opposite direction. I surveyed the area I was in, keeping an eye out for Bishop and his men. I spotted nothing out of the ordinary, but then again an enemy wouldn't just give himself away.

I reached the edge of the park and decided to make my way back to the lair as soon as possible. _It's a long walk so I should take the subway. _

_But I can't. April has all the money._

_Wait, where IS April?_


	17. Dangerous Encounters

_Italics _- Don's thoughts

_**Bold Italics**_– Flashbacks

**Chapter 17 (Dangerous Encounters)**

_Wait, where IS April?_

I glanced around again. _No, no sign of April. Should I go back and try to find her?_ I paused, conflicted. _Should I walk back towards a possible watch spot or try to make my way back to the lair?_

_I should go back_, I decided. And I did just that.

Always aware of my surroundings, I proceeded to return to the park bench on which I had originally left April. A few minutes later I spotted the bench. April was sitting on it.

I ran the last twenty yards to her. "April!" I called.

She stood and faced me. "Hey Don. I was wondering where you went." _Yup, defiantly my April!_

I stopped in front of her and gasped, "We need to get out of here. Now!"

"What? Why?" April questioned.

"No time to explain," I said, growing desperate. "Come on!"

Extremely confused, April followed behind me as I hastened back the edge of the park. I quickly found a subway entrance and dragged April to it. "I need to get back to the lair," I told her seriously.

"If you say so, Don," April said, dubious.

After buying tickets we boarded the underground train. I sat us far away from anyone else on the subway. Once out of hearing distance April turned to me and asked, "What's all this about Don?"

I sucked in a shaky breath, scanning the car suspiciously. My heart still hammered in my breast. "I saw her," I finally said.

"Who?"

"The female doctor. She always looked a little like you and when I didn't find you on the bench I saw her and I thought it was you." My words became panicked and rushed. "But it wasn't you, it was her. And she saw me! I don't know if she recognized me or not! I think she did."

"Shhhhh, it's okay," April said, trying to calm me down. "Don, you need to relax!"

I nodded.

"I should call your brothers," April said, "And tell them what has happened."

I agreed and watched April take out her cell phone from her purse. She quickly dialed the memorized number and held the device to her ear as it rang.

Finally someone picked it up. "Ninja Turtle Hotline. How may we rescue you?"

April spoke in the phone. "Oh, hey Mikey…" She paused, listening. "Not to good, something's happened… No, we're both okay-" She gave me a fleeting glance before proceeding to explain to Mikey what exactly occurred in the park. I tuned out most of the conversation and looked out the passenger car's window and watch the blurred images pass by. "-So can you meet us at my apartment as soon as possible?... Great, see you soon." April snapped the cell phone closed. Turning, she placed a hand on my shoulder and smile reassuringly. "It's going to be fine. You'll see."

The corners of my lips tugged into a smile. I then rested my head on April's shoulder. I was both mentally and physically tired from the day I just had. The rocking subway car lulled me to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Donnie, wake up. This is our stop."<p>

I woke with a start. April nudged me again with her shoulder I was sleeping upon. The underground train was slowing to a stop.

"Come on, Don."

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I stood up with April and exited the subway onto the platform. She grabbed my hand and directed me towards the exit that led to the surface.

"How long was I a sleep?" I asked as we climbed the stairs.

April shrugged. "I don't know… twenty minutes, maybe thirty."

"Oh."

We reached the surface and to my amazement the sky was quickly growing dark. Night would soon be upon us. I hadn't realized it had gotten so late. I followed April down the street in the direction of her apartment building. The streets were less crowded, in fact, it was almost empty. I was able to walk beside April as opposed to trailing behind her as we would weave between throngs of pedestrians. The street lamps turned on as we strolled beneath them. They cast an eerie glow onto the asphalt, casting long oddly shaped shadows over the edifices that lined either side of the lanes. A few singular cars passed by, a bit faster than they should have been driving on a pedestrian road in the dark.

I was growing tired again. I had fallen behind April in strides, lazily following her, when I bumped into someone. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"Watch where yer goin', asshole!" A gruff voice responded.

I went to continue on my way to catch up with April but a strong hand clamped down on my shoulder, holding me in place. The hand applied force, pushing me around to face the owner of the hand. Déjà vu over took me as I stared at the man I bumped into. A familiar sight met my eyes: a tall, muscled, green-haired, heavily tattooed thug – the same Purple Dragon I had bumped into earlier today when I was walking to April's apartment.

"Hey," the Purple Dragon growled. His face scrunched up, "I know ya."

I tired to play dumb. "Oooooooookay, person-I-have-never-met-before. What ever you say." I rolled my shoulder trying to dislodge the bone-crushing grip.

"No. I know ya." Then it dawned on him. "Ya bumped inta me this mornin'." The Dragon stabbed at me with a beefy finger accusingly.

_Busted_. "No, you d-"

The thug punched me in the face.

Pain blossomed between my eyes as I crashed to the pavement below me. My left hand clapped over my bloody nose. I glared up at the smirking Dragon above me.

The patter of rushing feet meet my ears. "Donnie!" April screamed.

_Oh, no!_

The giant gangbanger turned around and met the enraged red-haired female head on. April tried to hit the thug but he caught her flying fist and shoved her to the ground. She cried out in pain as she sprawled out onto the asphalt.

I suddenly found myself on my feet and yelling, "Leave her alone, you coward!" I struck out with my foot and hit the Dragon between the legs. He howled in pain but, by some miracle, stayed on his feet.

"Yer gonna pay for that!" he spat.

"Bring it," I said cockily. I raised my fist in front of my face and placed I my feet in an offensive position.

The frustration I had felt over the passed few days flowed out of me toward the tattooed man before me. I struck without holding back. All rational thought left my mind. Rage made my vision tunnel and turn red. I hit him three times before he even has aware of what was going on. But he quickly retaliated. I easily dodged his clumsy, erratic swings but one did catch me on my shoulder. I stumbled back and tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. I fell and landed on my butt. Before I could stand up his foot collided with my head. My vision turned hazy and white spots danced before my eyes.

I must have passed out for a few seconds because once I was coherent again I noticed the thug had turned his focus to April. He had grabbed both her hands in one of his and dragged her into an alleyway adjacent to the quiet city street. She was putting up a decent fight but the Dragon backhanded her with his free hand. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed down the ally. April cried out when the thug had struck her. He grasped the lower half of her face in his massive hand – covering her mouth and chin - and dragged her closer to him, so they were nearly nose to nose. I heard his grainy voice say, "What ya hangin' out with this asshole for? Ya should be wit a real man." He shook her violently. Her screams were still muffled by his hand. "How 'bout it, bitch? Wanna…," he leaned closer, finishing the question in a murmur, his face buried in her red locks. Though I couldn't hear the question I could see that whatever it was April wanted no part of it.

Having seen enough, I clamored to my feet and rushed into the ally. Snatching up a trash can lid as I ran by a dumpster, I swung it with all my strength at the Dragon's head. He dropped like a two-ton rock. As he crumpled to the ground, unconscious, his limp hands release my captive friend.

Panting, I stood over the downed thug. I slowly turned my gaze toward April. She was leaning against the wall staring numbly at her attacker. "Are you alright?"

"I-," she swallowed sluggishly. She turned to face me, her cheek already starting to redden where the Dragon had backhanded her. "I think so."

"Come on," I held out my hand for her to take. "Let's get out of here."

April grabbed my hand and allowed me to lead her out of the ally. The street was still as quiet and deserted as it had been before the thug had appeared. We trekked cautiously back to April apartment. When we arrived five minutes later April clumsily fumbled with her key ring before finding the right one and twisting it in the bolt lock. The door easily swung open due to its frequently, well-oiled hinges. We stepped into the dark apartment and April flicked the lights on.

"Hello?" April call out.

My brothers appeared out of their hiding place they had hidden in before knowing who was entering the apartment. When they saw the condition we were in they rushed to our aid.

"What the shell happened?" Leo asked, gesturing wildly at my bloodied face. "Did you run into trouble?"

Raph ran his eyes over me before turning to April. He noticed the giant red mark on her face. "Who hit ya, Ape?" he growled.

"A Dragon," I said.

"Not Bishop?" Mikey inquired.

"We haven't seen any of Bishop's agents yet," April explained. "I don't think the doctor recognized Don but we have to be careful. Who knows what could happen."

I sighed. It had been a long day and the adrenaline from the fight was draining out of my limbs. I sluggishly slumped down on the couch. I touched my nose gently. The bleeding had stopped and it didn't seem broken.

Mikey appeared above me, in his hand he held out a wet cloth for me to take. "Here."

"Thanks," I said gratefully. I took the damp washcloth and started to wipe the blood off my face.

"We should take you back to the lair," Leo told me. "You could come too," he said, turning to April. "And spend the night. That is, if you don't want to stay here alone."

"Thanks for the offer, guys. But I think I'll be okay," April said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Leo nodded. "Okay." Then he gestured to the rest of us. "Let's go. You up to run across the rooftops, Donnie?"

I stood up from my position on the couch. "Of course," I chimed.

I followed my brothers toward the apartment's open window. They gracefully climbed out, but before I joined them I turned back to April. "Take care of yourself, April," I told her gently.

She broke into a mischievous smile. "When don't I?"

I grinned back.

Climbing out the window and grabbing the fire escape I ascended to the roof where my brothers were waiting for me to join them. Raph was closest to the rim of the rooftop and helped me over the edge. Once I was erect, I turned towards Mikey, Leo and Raph. "Let's go."

Leo turned and led our party across the rooftops. I noted that the route we took was one of the easier ones we first ran when we started training above ground. I was a little agitated that Leo thought I couldn't handle a harder run. In fact, now that I noticed it, Mikey, who was always faster than Leo and Raph, lagged behind us. Realization came down on me when Raph slowed slightly to run next to me. My brothers were forming a protective triangle around me. I frowned, I didn't need their protection.

I was about to say as much when a shot rang out over the city. A piece of the cement roof exploded at my feet. "Shit!" I jumped over the hole and started to run faster. But as suddenly as the shot came so did the heavily armored agents of the Earth Protection Force. One man who appeared closest to me swung at me with his gun. I tried to change direction but I had too much momentum. The butt of the rifle slammed into the same shoulder where the Dragon had previously hit me. I yelled in pain and crashed down to the rooftop.

Hearing me cry out Raph came to aid. He smashed his fist into my attacker before finally stabbing him in the gut with his sai. "Move," my older brother growled at me.

Cradling my shoulder, I complied. I scrambled to my feet and turned to run again. Another agent blocked my path but this time I was ready for him. I did a high snap kick and caught the man in the throat with the heel of my shoe. With a gurgle, he collapsed. I snatched the weapon he was carrying. _Plasma gun_, I identified, recognizing the weapon.

I hefted the gun and started firing it at the nearest offenders. Immediately four dropped at my command. I was about to fire at a fifth when a scream rang out over the roof. "Mikey!" I turned to see Leo rush across the rooftop toward the prone form of my younger brother, calling his name desperately.

I began to fire the plasma gun again. The same rage that overtook my senses when I fought the Dragon began to make my vision turn red for a second time. I solely focused on the jump of the discharging gun in my hand. I murderously grinned when more men fell by my hand. The gun jumped once more and another scream sounded. This time, however, I recognized the shout. My redden vision cleared and I saw Raph holding his bleeding arm. He looked up at me in horror. I had shot him.

I had shot my brother. I had shot Raphael!

I gasped. The plasma gun dropped from my lifeless hands. Disgust racked my body. I stared at my hurt brother, I watched the blood flow from the wound. His blood. My brother.

Hands hastily snatched at my shocked form from behind. I didn't struggle as they pull me away from the carnage that littered the rooftop. Raph started yelling at me and rushed forward in my direction. I cringed away from his rushing body. I thought he was angry with me for shooting him. But then I realized his words were ones of fear and desperation, rather than one's of rage. I focused on his voice. "Donnie! Snap outta it! Take your hands of 'im, ya bastards! No! Don! DONNIE!"

_Oh!,_ I thought. _The EPF agents are kidnapping me_.

_Good. Take me far away from my family where I can't harm them anymore. I'm dangerous. Too dangerous_.

Tears fogged my vision and I mutely stared back at my three brothers as I was whisked away. I could still hear their screams even after they had disappeared from my sight.

_I'm sorry._


	18. Fear

_Italics _- Don's thoughts

_**Bold Italics**_– Flashbacks

**Chapter 18 (Fear)**

I was overpowered and outnumbered. And yet, I seemed to have no motivation to resist the hands that forced me in the back of the black van. I didn't scream when my injured shoulder was painfully yanked; I didn't struggle when I was roughly strapped into a seat; I didn't protest when a hood was placed over my head to prevent me from seeing where I was being taken. I just didn't do anything.

After what seemed like hours of driving, I was lifted from the van and carried away. Weightlessly flying in the arms of my captors I could only wonder what was to be done with me now that I was back with Bishop. I simply wished that I wouldn't be tortured again.

Eventually, I was brought to an empty white room and chained to a chair. Both my arms and legs were shackled.

Then I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Nothing happened for the longest time. I was left alone, still blindfolded, in an unknown location. But I didn't mind. I was too absorbed with what I had just done. I had hurt my brother. One I have sworn to protect, one I have loved all my life, injured by my own hand.

_What's going to happen to me?_ I thought.

But then I realized I didn't care. I just didn't care any more. I had given up. My life seemed more meaningless than ever. My future looked bleak. I was captured, alone, transformed, and useless. I couldn't escape again without help. My brothers were hurt, likely unable to rescue me. But, even if I did escape, I was still human.

_How could I ever think things could possibly return to normal?_

All of my thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the sound of footsteps approached me from behind. The footsteps eventually stopped and, after a pregnant pause, a gloved hand encircled the most vulnerable part of my neck.

I flinched at the contact, feeling exposed.

"You're more trouble than you're worth," Bishop groundout. His hand squeezed, applying an uncomfortable pressure at the base of my skull.

Unable to control myself, I sarcastically responded through the cloth of the hood. "Perhaps if you stopped doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results you would just learn to leave my brothers and I alone. After all, you always lose in the end."

Bishop yanked the hood off my head and predatorily circled my chair. He moved to kneel in front of me. Once eyelevel he said, "I do not like your implication of my insanity." The man patted my cheek almost fondly before continuing, "But I might just take that advice."

"Really?" I scowled.

A smirk pulled at the corner of Bishop's thin mouth. "Of course." He stood up and moved back a few paces. "I don't suppose I can keep you alive without having to be on constant alert. Your _family_," he spat the word out, "can be very persistent. Whatever I do will simply bring their wrath upon me and the EPF."

My abductor placed one gloved hand underneath his chin and another on his hip – a classic thinking posture.

I was stumped. Was Bishop really considering letting me go and leaving my brothers and I alone?

_No, he wouldn't do that._ I told myself. _Why would he?_

I paused, reviewing what Bishop actually said.

_He said that as long as I was alive he would feel threatened by my brothers._ I thought. _Is he going to kill me? Maybe he'll fake my death so Leo, Raph, and Mikey stop looking for me_…

I didn't even want to think what my death, or even faked death, might do to my family. They would be destroyed.

_Yes, they would, wouldn't they?_

I pondered that fact as Bishop continued his own personal deliberation in silence.

Then a thought came to me and I said, "It won't work."

Bishop blinked. "Excuse me?"

"It won't work," I repeated.

"What won't work?"

"Faking my death."

"Oh?" Bishop intoned, not even bothering to denounce my assumption.

"You can't keep me alive without risking my family's persistence. You won't kill me because it would be counter productive. Why transform me without having come grand scheme in mind?" I paused briefly, trying to discern my captor's thoughts. Unfortunately his features were schooled and he revealed nothing. "Thus, I can conclude that you wish to fake my death to have my family retreat with grief and leave you alone. And that won't work."

"So you've said."

"You don't understand," I explained, leaning forward in the chair as far as my bonds would allow me. "If I _died_, real or not, they would _never_ leave you alone. Objective injures can be revenged, but personal transgressions are _avenged_. And they would avenge me! It would be justice, that which cannot be stopped."

Silence reigned for several minutes. And, just when I thought I had won and instilled an appropriate amount of terror into the heart of my captor, Bishop spoke.

"Donatello, you are smart and you have sound reasoning. You have reached _one_ logical conclusion." The man before me looked down. "But there are other conclusions which can be presumed."

For the briefest moment I caught a quick glimpse of my captor's eyes, which where, as usual, hidden behind his tinted glasses. There was something so very intense and sinister about them.

"Donatello, have you ever read Machiavelli?"

Before I could help myself I was nodding in affirmation. I had read several of the famous Italian's books about diplomatic and military strategies. To Machiavelli, the ends always justified the means. And manipulation and ruthlessness were usually those means.

Bishop smiled. "He says, 'If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared'. Very wise words."

I blinked; processing what had just been quoted. But, before I could properly respond, Bishop was suddenly inches from my face. Startled, I leaned back into the chair, trying to distance myself from my abductor. Bishop ignored my alarm and gripped my injured shoulder with little care. I bit back a pained groan as he sneered, "I will make your death _so_ horrible, _so_ absolute that your brothers wouldn't dare avenge you for fear of losing another."

I stared into the reflection of my own wide eyes, only guessing how Bishop's gaze now looked underneath his government-issued sunglasses.

"After all, what is worse than death?" my captor inquired, tilting his head to the side.

My response was resolute. "The fear of death."

With that Bishop let go of my shoulder and moved back a few paces, nodding. "Yes, the _fear_ of it; the fear that you will be left alone in the world. Being forced to watch everyone you love die around you while you, for some reason, survive."

My breath hitched.

Having made his point, Bishop strode past me, back from where he had come. But, before he passed out of my hearing range, I heard him murmur, "I will look forward to this."

Then I was alone again.

* * *

><p>I don't exactly know how long I remained in the white room.<p>

Before, when I had been by myself, I didn't care what happened to me. I had given up because my future looked bleak. It was meaningless to try and stop my apparent fate. But that changed once Bishop showed up.

Fear for my brothers had been instilled in me. I thought of little else. I could not allow myself to be used as hostage against my family. Or even have Bishop fake my death in such a horrible manner that my brothers dare not attempt to retaliate. I needed to escape, if not for me then for them. I needed to try.

_And if I failed?_ I asked myself. _What then?_

I would have to do what Bishop refused to do: I would have to kill myself. Suicide was the only way to prevent Bishop's evident victory. My death would give my brothers the chance to avenge me. Suicide would destroy my humanity, taking away that which Bishop worked so hard to achieve.

_Only as a last resort_, I promised.

Unfortunately, all my planning would have to be put on hold. I would have to bide my time. I could do nothing while I was chained to a chair.

So I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And finally, after I had almost given up hope, I heard footsteps approaching. The distinctive clomp of boots informed me that several persons had entered the room. Unable to turn around and look, I could only guess my abductors' intentions.

The room finally quieted when the footsteps stopped directly behind me. I tilted my head back to try and discern the potential danger I was in. Three EPF agents stood behind me. One of the larger men held a set of restraints. They reminded me of the chains that prisoners wore – cuffs for the hands and feet that permitted a reasonable amount of maneuverability.

The agents didn't say anything, and they didn't have to.

I relaxed and allowed my captors to encircle me. Once they were satisfied that I wasn't going to cause any trouble, one of the agents unlocked my bound arms. As soon as they were free a second agent snapped the new manacles around my wrists. Preparing myself, I allowed the first man to kneel down and unlock the chains around my legs.

The moment I felt the cool metal fall away from my legs I lashed out. Kicking upward with all my might, I caught the kneeling agent in the chin, sending him flying. Before the other two could react I jumped and planted both freed feet on the chair. And, confirming that one of my captors was still behind me holding the restraints around my wrists, I flipped backwards. Twisting in the air, I jerked my manacled limbs, wrapping the excess chains around the man's neck.

I landed smoothly on the ground behind the second agent. At this point the third agent, the one who had been guarding me while his comrades changed my restraints, drew his plasma gun. Acknowledging the threat, I jerked back the chain around my second captor's neck, causing a strained gasp to escape. I used the chains as a leash, applying force to guide my prisoner to move the direction I wanted.

Mistakenly thinking he could get a clear shot, the third agent lifted his plasma gun and fired two shots. Anticipating his actions, I yanked the chains again, moving his comrade into the path of the shots. A strangle scream sounded before the man in front of me went limp. I stumbled slightly as the sudden dead weight jerked my chained wrists downward. Luckily, the action allowed me to easily evade the next shot that was aimed at my head.

Dodging the following shots was a little more difficult. I was forced to momentarily pause to unwrap the manacles from the neck of my unconscious, bleeding captor to allow myself more movement. Regrettably, this permitted the last standing agent to effectively graze on my right thigh.

My leg buckled, pain shooting up and down the injured limb. Swallowing any expletive I wished to release, I focused on my aforementioned task.

Once I untangled chains I lashed out. Using the restraints as a whip, I flogged the remaining agent across the chest. The force of the blow made him stagger backwards. Seizing the opportunity, I pounced. I preformed a quick roundhouse kick with my free legs. The man's head snapped back, blood flowing from his now broken nose. One more successful kick sent him to the ground, unconscious.

I gazed at the three bodies littered at my feet until my eyes spotted the keys to the cuffs on my wrists. I quickly grabbed them and released myself. Then, looting the bodies, I found two cans of pepper spray, three plasma guns, an extra pair of handcuffs, a flashlight, and a combat knife. Taking everything, I put them in my pockets. I used the knife to cut one of the agents' shirts into long strips. I used one of the strips to bandage the gaze on my leg. I crumpled the others and put them with the other plundered supplies.

Satisfied with myself, I turned and ran toward the door and toward freedom.


End file.
